BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/11/2007

Belarus and Russia will together process fruits and vegetables

Belarusian-Russian program of production and processing of fruits and vegetables was initially planned to end in 2007 - but, it will be extended for one more year till 2008, "Krestyanskiye Vedomosti" informs. Boris Bezlepkin, the Chief of Industrial Politics and Branch Programs Department, Permanent Committee of Union State, presented his decision at the press-conference in Minsk.

He said that the union program fully named "Efficiency increase of production and processing of fruits and vegetables on the basis of progressive technologies and machinery in 2005-2007" is planned to be extended. Primarily, this decision was predetermined by a good performance in its active period. The program is focused at the solution of the problem of saturation of food market of two countries with quality competitive food products on the basis of fruits and vegetables, the assortment extension and increased production of fresh produce.

"We plan to extend the program; we need RUR 88.9 mln. to extend it in 2008", the official pointed out.

He said that only one year extension is limited by the effective regulations which don't let such programs be extended for more than a mentioned period. If more time is required to reach the optimal result, new program is to be developed.

According to B. Bezlepkin, the proposals to new program development are in the process of agreement in Russia and Belarus. "We expect that these proposals will be agreed and introduced to the consideration of union state by the moment of the reporting about the present program", Boris Bezlepkin said. He hesitates to mention the implementation period for a new program; however, he pointed out that "the maximal term for the program is 5 years according to the regulations; although the optimal period is three years".

The stage of the development of highly-productive machinery for vegetable production has been over by the present moment. The next stage focuses on the batch production of new modern equipment on the basis of progressive, ecologically safe, resource- and energy-saving technologies of production and processing of fruits and vegetables.

The implementers intend to equip Belarusian and Russian farms and enterprises of fruits and vegetables industry with this machinery. There are plans to create 13 new technologies and 14 types of module equipment and certain types of machinery. The batch production of dozen types has already been mastered - these are precise drills, fertilizing machines, sorting equipment. The production of machinery and equipment for transportation, post harvest handling, storage and deep complex processing of fruits and vegetables will be adjusted by the end of year.

Since the beginning of this program implementation the development and adjustment of the production of 35 complexes and separate types of import substituting progressive equipment for production, storage and processing of fruits and vegetables have been developed. In total, the program amounted to the sum worth RUR 749.7 mln.; 65% of this sum was paid by Russian side and 35% - by Belarusian side.

The program participants have fully used funds allocated during two years (2005, 2006); all planned steps have been implemented. In 2006, 10 new perspective technologies and 26 types of progressive import substituting machinery and equipment were developed in the framework of only one component of the program "Production and storage of fruits and vegetables".

In particular, the pilot universal digger-windrower, scythe, and container truck for vegetable transportation from fields were introduced. The following pilot machines have been developed: complex soil cultivation and vegetable drills, transplant planting machinery for nurseries of table beet and carrot, universal vegetable tiller, and also pilot equipment for irrigation of orchards and berry beds, for drip irrigation of field vegetables.

Based on imported analog, Belarusian specialists have developed and produced an experimental root crop digging machine which simultaneously cuts tops.

The implementation of this program let the farmers increase the volumes of production, processing and, finally, consumption of fresh products of improved quality and extended assortment. In particular, the gross harvest of ecologically safe produce will increase 1.2-1.3 times, the transportation expenses will reduce 1.4-1.6 times, storage expenses will decline 1.3-1.4 times, the losses of nutritive substances in fruits and vegetables during a long-term storage will reduce 2 - 2.5 times.

The development of new machinery for cultivation and processing of fruits and vegetables needs to be constantly improved, because both Russian and Belarusian specialists lack experience in this sphere, B. Bezlepkin points out. The further training of Belarusian and Russian specialists in this sphere is one of the goals of the extension of the respective program of the union.

The rapid development of fruit & vegetable industry is observed in Ukraine too. The country occupied the leading positions in the production of fruits and vegetables on CIS territory during the recent 3-4 years. It has become the largest player of fruit & vegetable business of Eastern Europe.

You will learn about the main achievements of fruit & vegetable industry of Ukraine and its short-term perspectives during the fourth international conference "Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine 2007. Meeting New Leader" on the 4th-6th of December 2007 in Kyiv on the territory of the National Complex "Expocenter of Ukraine".

Source:

http://www.lol.org.ua/eng/fruits/showart.php?id=52707