Fruit and berry industry of Belarus: production status, labor productivity and performance

Abstract

The article draws attention to the relevance of the topic. It is noted that the level of self-sufficiency of Belarus with domestic fruit and berry products in some years does not reach 50%, although the soil and climatic conditions of the republic contribute to the almost universal cultivation and cultivation of various types and varieties of fruit and berry crops. In the fruit and berry industry of all categories of farms for the period 2015–2019, there were significant dynamic changes: if the gross harvest of fruits of seed crops decreased by almost 30%, the production of berries increased by 31%. The main contribution to the total gross harvest of fruits and berries was made by the households of the population – at least 70%. Attention is drawn to the fact that during the study period, the fruit-bearing area of horticultural crops significantly decreased, but their yield significantly increased. The article states that the yield of garden crops is characterized by a significant fluctuation between odd and even years: for even years, the yield indicators are higher compared to odd years. This pattern does not apply to berry crops.
An in-depth study of the indicators characterizing the fruit and berry industry was carried out on the example of the agricultural production cooperative (APC) “Progress-Vertelishki” of the Grodno region. In this farm, considerable attention is paid to the cultivation and cultivation of horticultural crops: from a significant fruit – bearing area for the period 2014–2018, from 2.6 to 3.2 thousand tons of fruits and from 31 to 85 tons of berries were collected annually. Using the example of the fruit and berry industry of the APC “Progress-Vertelishki”, the author of the article proves the need to calculate and evaluate labor productivity on the basis of net production (added value) rather than gross output. The main part of the article concludes with an analytical assessment of the economic and financial indicators of the fruit and berry industry in the APC “Progress-Vertelishki”. The content of the article ends with reasoned conclusions.