«From January through June, purchases from the public and agricultural producers exceeded Br200 million. Procurement turnover, excluding secondary raw materials, reached Br140.5 million. In terms of dynamics, the volume is nearly 14% up from year-on-year,» Oksana Skinder said. «This year alone, individuals have been paid Br78.2 million for the surplus agricultural and wild-harvested produce. In H1, Belkoopsoyuz purchased a total of 6,000 tonnes of potatoes, 11,000 tonnes of vegetables, over 4,500 tonnes of fruit, and more than 20 tonnes of wild berries and fruits from all suppliers.
In terms of procurement and processing, Brest Oblast traditionally holds the lead. Among the districts, the top performers are Stolin, Luninets, Malorita, Ivanovo, and Ivatsevichy. When it comes to wild-growing products, Mogilev Oblast stands out. The regions also differ in mushroom collection: Gomel Oblast sees more chanterelles brought in, Minsk Oblast yields more butter mushrooms, honey mushrooms, aspen boletes, birch boletes, and porcini mushrooms; Mogilev Oblast supplies chanterelles, honey mushrooms, and milk caps; Brest Oblast is known for porcini mushrooms; Grodno Oblast for chanterelles, porcini, and Polish mushrooms; and Vitebsk Oblast for aspen boletes, birch boletes, butter mushrooms, honey mushrooms, and milk caps.
The procurement system includes over 790 collection and receiving points. The network is expanding, with six new facilities up and running. Belkoopsoyuz keeps the public informed through the media, its website, retail outlets, and mobile shops about the locations of collection points, the types and quality requirements for the products being purchased, and the procurement prices. All collection points are displayed on an interactive map. During the harvest and procurement season, an operational task force is set up to respond to inquiries and keep the public informed.
In addition, over 6,000 trading spots are available at 103 markets affiliated with Belkoopsoyuz for the sale of homegrown fruit and vegetable produce. These are located not only in district centers but also in regional cities. Brick-and-mortar stores (over 2,600 of them) and mobile shops are also brought into the procurement effort. Residents can arrange transport for the removal of their harvest. To make things even more convenient for producers, purchases are conducted directly on the spot, near household gardens.
«Procurement activities are the primary source of raw materials for processing enterprises. At the same time, they help ensure that the retail network can offer a wide variety of early vegetables and berries,» Oksana Skinder noted
The range of produce grown on household plots has expanded in recent years. Bulk purchases now include not only cucumbers, tomatoes, and various apple varieties but also peppers and blueberries. Since winter, meetings have been held with local farms and local residents so that buyers can pre-calculate procurement volumes in advance.
