The procedure to sell agricultural enterprises in Belarus will be simplified in line with decree No. 349 that the Belarus president signed on 17 July to reorganize kolkhozes (agricultural manufacturing cooperatives), BelTA learned from Belarusian Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Lyudmila Nizhevich.

In her words, the decree contributes to the facilitation of law application practices, the observance and protection of rights and legally protected interests of citizens as well as interests of the state during the reorganization of agricultural manufacturing cooperatives. The decree will also contribute to the concretization of ownership relations. The procedure for selling agricultural enterprises will be simplified as well as procedures for raising investments and providing state support with the consequent increase in the state share, explained the Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister.

Speaking about the decree, Lyudmila Nizhevich remarked that the document outlines promising goals and principles of the state agrarian policy, mechanisms to render state support to agribusiness enterprises. The decree also provides for improving the mechanisms to render state support to agribusiness taking into account the concept for the concerted agribusiness policy of the Customs Union and Single Economic Space member states as well as WTO rules.

The decree also classifies measures of state support rendered to agribusiness entities during the implementation of countrywide measures and individual support measures. Conditions of preferential lending to the programs and measures implemented by the agribusiness are determined and a mechanism to compensate for bank losses incurred by preferential loans to agriculture is stipulated.

BelTA