Three Directions of Development
The meeting at the level of the President on the prospects for the development of the Pripyat Polesie has renewed attention to this unique territory of Belarus. Undoubtedly, every region of our country has its own distinctive features and, accordingly, its own potential, the rational use of which can open new horizons with a new quality of life. Why is the state today concentrating significant resources precisely on these territories, seeking optimal solutions in view of the priorities of socio-economic development? Let us consider the prospects by giving an objective assessment of what has already been done.
The Pripyat Polesie possesses considerable potential in agriculture, forestry and industry, thanks to a strong foundation created back in Soviet times, which includes enterprises and reclaimed lands. Yet its main asset is the local population — the paleshuks — with their love of work, initiative, and desire for the prosperity of their native land.
The development programme for this territory is based on three directions: the creation of an efficient economy, the provision of physical and spiritual well-being for the population, and the formation of a comfortable living environment.
Significant attention is being paid to the development of agriculture. By decision of the Head of State, the Parokhonskoye JSC was chosen as a model, whose management practices were positively assessed during Alexander Lukashenko’s visit last year. Under the programme, in each district one agricultural organisation was granted the status of a base entity and was expected to adopt advanced forms and methods of crop production and animal husbandry. Already at the present moment, we are observing positive shifts. It is noteworthy that the state makes no distinction between economic entities of different ownership forms. Farms, of which there are many in Polesie, are actively participating in achieving the programme’s goals. The most striking example is the Stolin district. One of the largest farms there — OlshanyAgro, whose director took part in the President’s meeting — plays a significant role at the national level in growing various types of vegetables.
The development programme for the Pripyat Polesie provides for a strategic shift from raw-material exports to the production of goods with high added value. In the Petrikov district, the Belaruskali mining complex is expanding; in the Luninets district, the production facilities of the Granit Republican Unitary Production Enterprise are being modernised. At the same time, plans include the establishment of new production lines, including dry dairy products in the Luninets district and deep wood processing in the Yelsk district. A key feature of the regional industrial policy is diversification. The modernisation of traditional industries proceeds in parallel with the creation of import-substituting production. The expected result of implementing the programme will be not only growth in industrial output, but also a fundamental improvement in socio-economic indicators.
The Pripyat Polesie possesses unique natural capital that forms the basis for the development of eco-tourism.
The social component of the programme is aimed at fundamentally improving the quality of life of local residents: the development of mobile medicine and telemedicine, the construction and renovation of educational institutions, the development of sports infrastructure and public utilities (major repairs and modernisation of water supply, sewerage and heat supply networks, as well as the construction of water de-ironing stations). Much has already been accomplished this year. Among the most significant achievements are the completion of the modernisation of Secondary School No. 1 in Luninets, the start of construction of a sports and recreation complex and a new central district hospital building in the Gantsevichi district.
At the final stage is a landmark investment project for the Gantsevichi district — the establishment of a biopharmaceutical plant for the production of medicinal products based on blood plasma on the premises of the branch of the Republican Research Centre for Transfusiology. This will make it possible to replace imports of several medicines important for the population, including Albumin and Intravenous Immunoglobulin.
The development programme for the Pripyat Polesie is more than a list of investment projects. It is a strategy aimed at creating a modern and comfortable region to live in, where opportunities for self-realisation exist not only in cities but also in villages.
The region can become an example of balanced regional development, where economic efficiency goes hand in hand with the preservation of a unique ecosystem and the improvement of people’s well-being.
The Pripyat Polesie is not merely a geographical region in the south of the country. It is the true heart of Belarus, which for centuries has circulated life, culture and an indomitable spirit through its veins — a place where our national symbols are located, including the majestic Pripyat River, once referred to in ancient times as the Herodotus Sea, the Olmany swamps, and one of the earliest centres of national statehood — the town of Turov.
It is here, among the swamps and floodplain oak forests, that the so-called “Polesie mentality” was formed — unhurried, wise, patient and unyielding, close to nature and strong in spirit. The inhabitants of Polesie learned to survive in the most difficult conditions, and this gene has been passed on to the entire Belarusian nation.