From harsh criticism to high assessment - the experience of updating the ITC Govyady was presented at the republican seminar

Agrogorodok Govyady Shklovsky district became one of the key points of the national seminar-training on regional development. In September, Govyady-Agro, a local agricultural enterprise, was heavily criticized by the President during his unplanned visit. The economy and the region were given a clear task - to eliminate all the identified shortcomings as soon as possible and restore order. Alexander Lukashenko was personally convinced that the instructions were fulfilled when he visited the updated Govyady dairy complex on November 7. And today, November 8, large-scale changes at the facility are assessed by the participants of the Republican seminar, the correspondent of sb.by reports.

ITC Govyady, commissioned in 2011, became a vivid example of how in the region not only build new, but also put in order existing complexes. Currently, Govyady-Agro has six livestock facilities - five MTC and one commodity farm. The complex in Govyady contains 2.2 thousand heads of cattle, including 852 heads of dairy herds, and its infrastructure unites three barns, a dry stand shop with a milking and dairy block, 6 rooms for young animals and dispensaries.

To update the ITC "Govyady" approached comprehensively. Here the fence was completely replaced, the territory was paved, roofs, light-aeration skates, windows and lighting in the premises were repaired. Stables, partitions and hay trenches were also repaired, milking equipment was maintained and walking areas were landscaped. Now the complex continues the construction of a modern calf dispenser.

The large-scale work involved both construction organizations and reclamators, and enterprises-chiefs, who took the bulk of the load.

If the farm carried out this colossal work on its own, it would take about ten years, Elena Mariutse, deputy director of Govyady-Agro, is sure:

- The President’s comments were absolutely relevant. By their example, they proved that with due diligence and consolidation of efforts, even at old facilities, it is possible to restore exemplary order. Thanks to the help of the chief organizations, comfortable conditions were created for animals and workers, milking time was reduced, and the average yield per cow increased to 17.9 liters of milk against September 16. Now our main task is to return to the peak farm figures of 38 liters from one head. It should be clearly understood that a cow is a milk factory that cannot be turned off on weekends or vacations. Our team is united, people understand the importance of minute-by-minute compliance with technological discipline and are ready to work at any time for the sake of the overall result. We are ready to scale this experience, show it to others and contribute to the economy of the dairy industry throughout the country.

The reconstruction of the Govyady complex has become part of the global strategy for the development of the dairy industry in the region, said Olga Nikolaychenkova, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Food of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee:

- In order to fulfill the instructions of the Head of State, a strategy for the development of the dairy industry has been developed in the region, the purpose of which is to move away from the tethered keeping of livestock to the untied one, create more than 26 thousand new cattle places for dairy cattle and increase livestock production. In total, until 2030, 85 dairy complexes need to be built and reconstructed in the region and reach the volume of 1 million tons of milk with an average yield of more than 6 thousand kilograms. After the implementation of this program, taking into account the construction of the ITC under the Presidential Decrees, 275 dairy complexes with a completed production cycle will operate in the region.

According to Olga Vladimirovna, the purpose of this large amount of work is not only external improvement, but also the introduction of strict technologies, the creation of comfortable conditions for keeping animals, which directly affects the increase in production volumes.

- For everything to work out, there should be an exemplary order at each complex, she stressed.

Head of the Main Directorate of Livestock Intensification of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Natalia Sonich says:

Govyady is a good example for the whole country: to get advanced production, it is not necessary to build new buildings from scratch. Of the 2,644 operating dairy farms in Belarus, 1,190 still meet modern standards. Another 719 complexes have been transferred to unbound content, but require updating. Somewhere it is necessary to reconstruct the milking hall or replace outdated stall equipment, somewhere to complete the premises for dry cattle. Many of these facilities were built in 2004-2008, their technological “stuffing” is outdated and needs to be replaced.

The Ministry and the regions face large-scale state tasks – by 2030, Belarus needs to produce 10.5 million tons of milk, and by 2035 – to reach the bar of 11.5 million tons.

- At the same time, we do not plan to significantly increase the livestock, Natalia Alexandrovna said. The main bet is on an intensive path of development - increasing the productivity of each animal through strict adherence to technology, balanced feeding and the implementation of elementary maintenance regulations. At the end of this year, the expected average yield per cow in the country should be about 6830 kilograms. This is still a modest result, because the best world experience shows the bar of 10 tons of milk from cows, and there are already some areas in Belarus that have crossed this line. We will actively broadcast and scale the experience of modernizing the Shklov complex to the entire republic in order to achieve these benchmarks.

Shklov hosts training seminar on modern approaches to regional development