Lukashenko: Efficient retail system must be established in Belarus by 1 January
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has set a deadline of January 1 for the creation of an effective trade service system throughout the country, and primarily in rural areas. The Head of State announced this at a meeting on the effectiveness of the population trade service system in Belarus, a BELTA correspondent reports.
"There must be a system for trade. We are a systemic state," the Head of State emphasized.
He noted that Belarus has regions (regions and the city of Minsk), districts, more than 1,400 agro-towns, and large villages. All of them are located along the main roads. There are also small farmsteads and villages that are called unpromising. 7-10 people live there, mostly elderly, but they created the country in their time, the Belarusian leader pointed out.
"Based on this, you must develop a system for serving people. You have until January 1," the President set the task. "And God forbid, assistants and authorized representatives see even one small village where 'Grandma Dunya' has not received what she has worked for all her life."
Alexander Lukashenko noted that there are good examples of work organization in this regard in the country. "Do it all over the country. It's not a lot of money. Use any resources," the President instructed. "Let's start from the border of the Grodno region (we have a general there who will put everyone in order and get it done) and audit the country to see how people live and how they should live."
He pointed out that, in general, not much is needed. It is important to ensure the assortment. "And prices. The main thing is prices (they should be fair and affordable. - BELTA's note)," the Head of State emphasized.
At the meeting, the Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, Artur Karpovich, reported on the population service system in Belarus. According to the minister, based on the results of the first half of the year, trade accounts for 9.6% of the total GDP, ranking second. The retail trade turnover indicator is being met. With a target of 104.5%, it reached 108.6%. As of January 1, 2025, almost 86 thousand retail outlets were operating in Belarus. Their annual number is increasing by an average of one and a half percent.
However, Alexander Lukashenko focused specifically on trade outlets in rural areas. The minister stated that the situation here is somewhat different: over the past five years, their number has decreased by one and a half percent. At the same time, this includes the substitution with e-commerce. "E-commerce is actively developing not only in cities but also in
At the same time, the President urged to consider the interests of the older generation, who cannot always use these innovations, and it can be difficult for them. "Well, 'Grandma Dunya' sits and pokes at her iPhone..." he remarked figuratively.
Inna Medvedeva, Chairperson of the National Statistical Committee of Belarus, added specifics to the discussion. According to her data, the number of shops in rural areas decreases by 100-250 units annually. Moreover, the share of retail trade turnover in rural areas has fallen from a former 20% to the current 13.4%. Last year, this figure was still 14%. "That is, the share of rural areas is being slightly reduced every year. This indicates that the provision of trade facilities to the population is currently insufficient. We can confirm this with figures," said the head of the statistical agency.
The head of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade does not deny the problem, but says that the social standards developed in the country for providing the population with trade facilities are generally being met. As for rural areas, there are only 26 settlements where this is not the case. But even there, in most cases, their location plays a role, when literally 100-200 meters away there is another settlement with a sufficient number of shops, and people go there. "Local authorities are aware of all these issues and control them," assured Artur Karpovich.
He also said that special attention is paid to product quality control. This work is carried out in conjunction with deputies, trade union representatives, and local authorities, among others. According to the minister, sometimes the same videos on social networks with people's complaints turn out to be inconsistent with the real situation. Somewhere it is done solely for PR, to attract more subscribers.
"I understand all this. Today they are 'TikTok-ing' that, oh, rats have run around somewhere. So, is the President going to catch rats? It's you who can't deal with the garbage cans on the spot and have rats running around. Otherwise, they wouldn't run. Therefore, I understand all this," Alexander Lukashenko reacted.
The head of state also asked what problems exist in trade in general. He was informed that the main one is the decline in the share of domestic products in retail trade turnover. There are various reasons for this, as well as solutions, and they were also discussed in detail at the meeting.i.