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Opinion: Belarusian youth ready to contribute to rural development

MINSK, 21 May (BelTA) – The Belarusian youth is ready to contribute to rural development, Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the BRSM Youth Union Aleksandr Prokhorov told BelTA following the international business game Beginner Farmer. Aleksandr Prokhorov led the Belarusian delegation at the game.

The final of the business game wrapped up in Russia’s Moscow Oblast on 20 May. Taking part in the event were teams from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and ten Belarusian teams, seven of which won awards.

“Despite the pandemic and restrictions that are in place across the world, the youth agricultural forum brought together a lot of participants. The program of the event was busy and included workshops, master classes, excursions, and, of course, the international final of the game. I would like to praise the teamwork of the Belarusian participants, their professionalism and support for their teammates. Participation in the game might help representatives of different countries network and support each other’s business projects in the future,” Aleksandr Prokhorov said.

According to him, the Belarusian participants set sights on victory from the first day of participation. “They took part in qualification rounds and attended many workshops. The Belarusian participants took into account the country’s capacities and business support programs available in Belarus. When they presented their projects, they also expressed their civic stance, stating their intention to work for the benefit of their country, make money and pay taxes diligently, while for many people business is only about profit. The projects of the Belarusian teams were also about social responsibility. For them it is equally important to launch new production facilities, create new jobs, ensure food security of Belarus, and cultivate environmentally friendly products. I am happy to note that the Belarusian youth are generally interested in the development of the rural areas of our country. All finalists are set to implement their project in the full volume," the head of the delegation added.

The forum provides an opportunity for young people from different countries to exchange their views on rural development and agriculture in general in an open and lively discussion.

"During the forum, we shared with colleagues from other countries our experience of development of the agricultural industry, agricultural towns with socially developed infrastructure, projects for rural youth, which are implemented by the BRSM. We invited our partners from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia to take part in this year's final of the Lord of the Village competition to increase the international visibility of the Belarusian brand. We also presented put project of Belarusian student agricultural brigades and also discussed the idea to exchange  student brigades,” Aleksandr Prokhorov said. 

In Belarus, the Beginner Farmer business project was organized by the BRSM Youth Union in partnership with the Russian Union of Rural Youth with the support of the Agriculture and Food Ministry. The intelligent business game brought together rural students, students of agricultural education institutions, young agriculture professionals and also entrepreneurs working in the agricultural sector. The project promotes the skills of business planning, management decision making and teamwork among rural youth. The organizer of the international final is the Russian Union of Rural Youth.