BelTA YouTube host Elena Krylova spoke about improvements in Belarus’ pig farming industry on April 16, 2025.
“Pig farming in Belarus is still in a difficult situation. Alexander Lukashenko had to place the issue under his oversight. Only thanks to timely measures was the situation gradually brought under control. Now, farmers are looking to the future with optimism,” the host said.
In September 2023, Alexander Lukashenko criticized the state of pig farming in Belarus during a meeting and put it under his personal oversight.
“The pig population dropped by more than 11%, or 290,000 head. The biggest declines were recorded in the Homel and Minsk regions. Pig mortality rose in nearly every other district across the country. The number of piglets born fell by 8%,” according to the meeting report.
At the time, Belstat data showed the pig population was nearly 2.5 million. Since Lukashenko took control of the issue, that number has declined. As of March 1, 2025, the count had dropped below 2 million head. Belstat reports a 13% drop over the past year. Pork production by live weight also fell by 16%. In other words, the situation isn’t stabilizing — it’s getting worse.
In 2024, Belarus produced just over 400,000 tons of pork. Under a newly developed 10-year strategy, pig farms are expected to deliver half a million tons by 2034. Yet the state Agrobusiness program for 2021–2025 had projected that amount — or even more — would be reached as early as 2021.