Lukashenko set a deadline of January 1 for the creation of an effective trade service system throughout Belarus
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 trade service system for the population in Belarus, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"There must be a system for trade. We are a systemic state," the head of state emphasized.
He noted that Belarus has regions (oblasts and the city of Minsk), districts, over 1,400 agro-towns, and large villages. All of them are located along major roads. There are also small homesteads and villages that are called unpromising. They are inhabited by 7-10 people, mostly elderly, but who 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 that 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 throughout 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 drew attention to the fact that, in general, not much is needed. It is important to ensure a range of goods. "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 system of serving the population of 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 target is being met. With a target of 104.5%, it reached 108.6%. As of January 1, 2025, there were almost 86,000 retail outlets operating in Belarus. Their annual number is increasing by an average of 1.5 percent.
However, Alexander Lukashenko focused specifically on retail outlets in rural areas. The minister stated that the situation here is somewhat different: over the past five years, their number has decreased by 1.5 percent. At the same time, this includes replacement with e-commerce. "E-commerce is actively developing not only in cities but also in
The President, at the same time, urged to consider the interests of the older generation, who cannot always use these innovations, and it can be difficult for them. "Well, yes, '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 stores in rural areas decreases by 100-250 units annually. Moreover, the overall share of retail trade turnover in rural areas is falling 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 taken away little by little each 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, in general, the social standards developed in the country for providing the population with trade facilities are 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 stores, 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, among other things, jointly with deputies, trade union representatives, and local authorities. 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'ii.
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