Practice of Organic Agriculture in Belarus
There is the data about 3 holdings certified by the firm BSC (Germany) in book “Practical recommendations for the conduction of pollution-free agriculture in the Republic of Belarus” (Tarasenko, Sviridov). They are the farm “Tvin”, the private fruit growing holding of Trambovich (Grodno region) and the Lenin agricultural co-operative in Luninets district in Brest region. According to the data received from the farming associations there holdings do not exist nowadays. Belarusian organizations which unite the farmers do not have the information about the holdings which use the methods of organic agriculture, but the interest in organic agriculture is great. The farmers consider the main obstacle in the promotion of the organic agricultural system in Belarus is the absence of special certification establishments and the imperfect price policy.
The production of foodstuffs at the farmlands and suburban lands is significant in Belarus and amount 4844 milliard rubles (almost 40 percent of the production value of the country agriculture, the data of 2006), but the acres site which are used for gardening, cottage construction and truck farming amount 0.7 percent from the total site of agricultural lands, the farmlands amount 9.8 percent. But the area of the fruit plantations exceeds 50 percent from the total area of such plantations in the country. More then tenth times as much of potato was produced at farm and suburban lands in 2006 in comparison with agricultural and other organizations and hundredth times as much of potato then at farmlands; the production volume of vegetables exceeds this activity of the other producers in 8 and 30 times respectively (The Republic of Belarus in Numbers. Brief Statistic Digest. 2006).
Mostly the production of agricultural products at such holdings is close to ecological production. The interest in the data of the methods of organic agriculture is great: small-holders invite the lectors from the scientific and public-service institutions, and such materials are published in special press very often.
The production and service subdivision “Hope plus” is one and single commodity production of pollution-free products, although the standards IFOAM for the growing, storage and treatment are not fully observed during the production. As a result of high cost price and the peculiarities of Belarusian legislation in the pricing field the foodstuff production at this enterprise is granted. This enterprise provided 95percent of ecologically clean products to the child's center “Hope” of the joint Belarusian-German beneficent organization “Hope-XXI century”.
On the expert estimation there are no agricultural products in Belarus which satisfy the international requirements (IFOAM standards in particular).