Alyaksandr Lukashenka said during his visit to Lahoysk, Minsk region, on Sunday that at their meeting in Sochi on August 27, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed that the recent "milk problem" had largely been artificial.
According to the Belarusian leader, Mr. Medvedev also acknowledged that there were no grounds to accuse Belarus of excessive government support of farm producers.
Belarusian farm products can be sold not only in Russia but also in other post-Soviet countries and in Eastern Europe. "The main task at present is not to sell cheap," the presidential press office quoted Mr. Lukashenka as saying. "Since demand is on the rise, the price should increase."
"In both England and Israel and Poland, not to speak of the Russians and the Ukrainians, people want to taste natural products without preservatives and additives," Mr. Lukashenka said. "We can give them these products."
The current crisis has certainly affected prices, wages and the like in Belarus, Mr. Lukashenka said while speaking to a group of local residents. "The demand for our products has decreased, with our industrial giants being worst hit," he said. "But I think we’ll manage to get out."
In the present conditions, it is necessary to be good at earning money, create and develop the infrastructure to attract foreign tourists, and improve the quality and efficiency of transit services, Mr. Lukashenka suggested.
In recent years, the Lahoysk district has turned from an economically struggling area into one of the most successful districts, he said. The district’s revenues have increased threefold in the last four years, with government subsidies being considerably reduced, he noted.
Mr. Lukashenka will continue his working tour of Belarus’ provinces on August 31, focusing his attention on issues concerning the development of Belarus’ Palesse region, the presidential press office said.
