Agriculture and food in Belarus

Agriculture in Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and the most populous city is Minsk. Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometers (80,200 sq mi) is forested. Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing. Until the 20th century, different states at various times owned most of the territory of modern-day Belarus, including the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire.

In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Belarus declared independence as the Belarusian People's Republic, the first-ever democratically elected socialist state. The Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was renamed the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR). Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1921. Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after territorial negotiations between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany (see: Molotov-Ribbentrop Border Changes Agreement). During WWII, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945 the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.

The Constitution of Belarus does not declare an official religion, and the government is officially secular. However, the primary religion in Belarus is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which is also the religion of Russia. Roman Catholicism is the second-largest religion in Belarus. According to a 2012 survey, 41.7% of the population declared themselves Orthodox Christians belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate, while Catholics of the Latin Rite made up 23.9% of the population. Belarus also has a significant minority of Greek Catholics (Uniates) (4.1%), Protestants (2.3%), Muslims (1.7%), and other religions (0.4%). Judaism in Belarus existed for centuries and once comprised a significant portion of the population, but the Holocaust and emigration greatly reduced the community's numbers.

The Constitution of Belarus guarantees freedom of religion. However, the government restricts this right in practice. The 2009 US Department of State International Religious Freedom Report found that "the government continued to interfere with religious groups considered nontraditional, although it generally respected the rights of such groups to worship freely".

The economy of Belarus is characterized by state ownership of a large portion of the means of production, with some private sector activity. GDP per capita was estimated at $9,100 in 2013, which ranks Belarus 71st in the world according to World Bank data. The main economic activities are the manufacturing industry (including machine building, metalworking, light industry, food processing), agriculture (grains and potatoes), forestry, fishing, and tourism. Belarus exports timber, machines and equipment, chemicals and mineral fertilizers, tractors, and trucks. It also has a broad base of scientific and technical talent.

Belarus is one of the top thirty economies in Europe. Its main trading partners are Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. Europe is Belarus' largest trading partner, accounting for more than half of its trade. Belarus has been a member of the Eurasian Economic Community since 2000. The country's main export items are petroleum products, potash fertilizers, tractors, and trucks.

In 2012, Belarus was ranked 61st in the world in the ease of doing business index prepared by the World Bank Group. In 2015, Belarus was ranked 87th (between Congo and Pakistan) in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index prepared by Reporters Without Borders.

The economy of Belarus is based on agriculture, forestry, fishing, and the manufacturing industry. The main economic activities are the manufacturing industry (including machine building, metalworking, light industry, food processing), agriculture (grains and potatoes), forestry, fishing, and tourism.

The service sector comprises banking, insurance, real estate, wholesale and retail trade, transport, communications, and other services. The main trading partners of Belarus are Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. Europe is Belarus' largest trading partner, accounting for more than half of its trade. Belarus has been a member of the Eurasian Economic Community since 2000. Belarus is a landlocked country with an area of 207,600 square kilometers (80,200 sq mi). It is about the size of the United Kingdom or the state of Kansas. Belarus has a continental climate with cold winters and mild summers.

The population of Belarus is 9.48 million, making it the 83rd most populous country in the world. The ethnic groups are Belarusians (84%), Russians (11%), Poles (3%), and Ukrainians (1%). The main language is Belarusian, which is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Russian is also spoken, and both languages are official.

Religion in Belarus is diverse, with Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and other faiths represented. The Constitution of Belarus guarantees freedom of religion. However, the government restricts this right in practice. Judaism in Belarus existed for centuries and once comprised a significant portion of the community's numbers.

The economy of Belarus is characterized by state ownership of a large portion of the means of production, with some private sector activity. GDP per capita was estimated at $9,100 in 2013, which ranks Belarus 71st in the world according to World Bank data. The main economic activities are the manufacturing industry (including machine building, metalworking, light industry, food processing), agriculture (grains and potatoes), forestry, fishing, and tourism. Belarus exports timber, machines and equipment, chemicals and mineral fertilizers, tractors, and trucks. It also has a broad base of scientific and technical talent.

Belarus has a command economy, with the government controlling most means of production. The country's main exports are petroleum products, potash, and timber. Belarus is also a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which allows for free trade between Belarus and other member states.

The Belarusian economy is heavily dependent on Russia, with trade between the two countries totaling $23.4 billion in 2016. In fact, about 40% of Belarus’s exports go to Russia, and around 50% of its imports come from Russia. This dependence has led to Belarusian officials working closely with their Russian counterparts on economic issues.

The global financial crisis of 2008 hit Belarus hard, with the country’s GDP shrinking by 3.9% in 2009. However, the economy has since recovered and is now growing at a rate of around 2-3% per year. The main drivers of growth are the manufacturing and service sectors.

Unemployment in Belarus is relatively low, at around 1%. However, underemployment is a problem, with many workers only able to find part-time or temporary work. Wages in Belarus are also low, averaging around $500 per month.

Income inequality is a big problem in Belarus. The country has one of the highest Gini coefficients in the world, meaning that there is a large gap between the rich and the poor. This is partly due to the fact that Belarus’s economy is still quite centralized, with a lot of the country’s wealth concentrated in the hands of a few people.

Poverty is also an issue in Belarus. According to World Bank data, around 8.6% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2016. This is a relatively high number, especially when compared to other countries in the region.

The Belarusian government has been working to improve the country’s economy in recent years. In 2015, it introduced a new development strategy that focuses on diversifying the economy, improving infrastructure, and attracting foreign investment. So far, these efforts have yielded some positive results, with the economy growing at a steady rate.

The Belarusian landscape is mostly flat, with vast expanses of forest and steppe. There are also many rivers, lakes, and marshes. The country's highest point is Dzyarzhynskaya Hara (345 m), while the lowest point is Nyoman River (-5 m). Belarus has a continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers.

Belarus is a landlocked country, bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its area is 207,600 square kilometers (80,200 sq mi), with a population of 9.4 million. Minsk is the capital and largest city.

Belarus is a unitary state divided into seven oblasts. The territory of Belarus has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The people of Belarus have had a long and varied history, which has been reflected in their culture and traditions.