President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko presented state awards to the leaders of the agro-industrial complex. The solemn ceremony took place at the Palace of Independence on November 11, on the eve of the Day of Workers of Agriculture and Processing Industry of the AIC, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.

The President congratulated everyone on the upcoming professional holiday, wishing them new labor successes - high milk yields and weight gains, and bountiful harvests. But most importantly - good health and good spirits in their families, so that they have a pleasant place to return to after a hard day's work. "We know how to work. Everything else is in our hands. If we are healthy, we will do everything. And may the weather always be good in your home and beyond. Patience to you, and may children be born - a new generation of Belarusian villagers, Belarusian agrarians," said Alexander Lukashenko.

In his opinion, working in agriculture, on one's native land, is the most valuable and interesting, and the head of state himself fondly recalls the time when he lived and worked in the countryside. "Don't rush to the cities," the President advised. "Appreciate this time and remember, in a peasant way: we are not needed by anyone anywhere."

"This is the time now: if you break through on your own, if you put in the effort, God will help you. And you will definitely achieve what you want," Alexander Lukashenko continued. "If you walk around with your hands down, you won't achieve anything in this life, you'll just walk around and complain: the government didn't give it, the garden wasn't sown, the household plot wasn't mowed, the thickets weren't cleared, the firewood wasn't chopped... You'll just walk around and complain."
The President emphasized that Belarus is, of course, a social state, but this does not mean providing support to everyone indiscriminately. "We cannot and should not help everyone, because this breeds dependency," explained Alexander Lukashenko. The focus should be primarily on people like those present at the state awards ceremony.

"Know that the country is proud of you, and I am proud of you above all," the head of state addressed the attendees. "You see how much attention I pay to the countryside and agriculture. And I am proud that you are giving us this return. I can say in any city that you are great, you are heroes, and that we pay so much attention and spend considerable resources to ensure you are like this."

At the end of the ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Yuri Gorlov, presented the head of state with a loaf of bread from the 2025 harvest from Belarusian grain growers as a symbol of food security.

On behalf of all rural workers, the head of the ministry thanked the President for his trust, support, and invaluable contribution to the development of the industry. "2025, as you rightly said, was indeed a challenging year. This year was a challenge for our farmers. But we endured it and got through it. All our rural workers share your words: 'It is better to harvest grain than to wage war.' Going out into the fields every day, at dairy processing plants, our people know: 'Our country is behind us, our President is behind us'," emphasized Yuri Gorlov.

Alexander Lukashenko, in turn, congratulated everyone on the holiday once again, wishing them health and success. "The main thing is children. You will agree that if children are doing well, we will be too," he said.

Among the awardees are Vladimir Lukyanov, General Director of OJSC "Agrokombinat "Dzerzhinsky," and Tatyana Struk, Director of OJSC "Otor" of Chechersky District. They were awarded the Order of Labor Glory.

The Order of Honor has been awarded for the merits of Helena Dremо, an operator of livestock complexes and mechanized farms at MTK "Germanishki" of KSUP "Gudogai" in the Ostrovets district; Nikolay Kurzenkov, director of OJSC "Khotimsky Lnonzavod"; Galina Legkaya, a milking machine operator at OJSC "Rassvet named after K.P. Orlovsky" in the Kirovsk district; Vasily Moroz, a tractor driver-machinist at KUPSHP "Kohanovichi" in the Verkhnedvinsk district; and Vladimir Pobegaylo, a vehicle driver at OJSC "Put Novy" in the Lyakhovichi district.

The honorary title of Honored Worker of Agriculture of the Republic of Belarus has been conferred. It was awarded to Ivan Golovenko, chief agronomist of SPK "Progress-Vertelishki" in the Grodno district; Tatyana Dolgonosova, an operator of poultry farms and mechanized farms at the broiler shop No. 1 of ZAO "Servolyuks Agro" in the Mogilev district; Vladimir Lyubushak, director of OJSC "Svyataya Volya" in the Ivacevichi district; Andrey Novikov, a tractor driver-machinist at OJSC "Tikhinichi" in the Rogachev district; and Vyacheslav Struk, head of the livestock department at KSUP "Brilevo" in the Gomel district.

Workers of the agro-industrial complex have also been awarded the medal "For Labor Merits" and the Gratitude of the President.

In addition to the awards, on this solemn day, another gift for the front-runners of agriculture was an excursion to the Palace of Independence. The spacious and grand halls did not leave the guests indifferent. Moreover, many of them were there for the first time. The opportunity to see with their own eyes the halls and offices where the most important and defining decisions for the country are made is not a daily occurrence.

Galina Legkaya, a milking machine operator at OJSC "Rassvet named after K.P. Orlovsky" in the Kirovsk district, was impressed by the excursion. The woman has been working at this enterprise for over 20 years. For her many years of work and achievement of high results, the head of state presented Galina Legkaya with the Order of Honor.

"The credit for the high performance of the farm is, of course, not mine alone. It is the work of the entire team. We always support each other, cover for each other if necessary. My colleagues and family, when they found out that I would receive such an award, were happy for me. And I am grateful to them for their support," admitted Galina Legkaya.

By the way, in August, "Rassvet named after K.P. Orlovsky" was visited by the President. Alexander Lukashenko was interested in how things were going on the farm, asked the chairperson in detail about the performance indicators of the agrarians, and noted that things were going well at "Rassvet".

"It is pleasant that the President paid attention to our farm. I think we will only improve from now on. I know that they are going to build a new complex and a greenhouse here. Therefore, everything will be fine," Galina Legkaya is confident.

Her colleague Natalia Romanchuk received the President's Commendation. The woman has been working as a milking machine operator at the "Dubovtsy" dairy farm of the "Plemzavod Ross" agricultural enterprise since 2018. Although her overall work experience in agriculture is impressive – more than 30 years.

"I was born in Lithuania, but in 1992 I moved to Belarus with my parents. I studied at a agricultural college in Pinsk, after which I worked in a meat processing plant for a long time. And seven years ago I moved to the farm, which I do not regret," said Natalia Romanchuk.

According to the woman, she is not ashamed of her work at all. "When they ask me what I do, I answer: 'Do you want the simple version or the fancier one? If the simple version, then a milkmaid. If the fancier one, then a milking machine operator'," she added with a smile.

The tour did not leave her indifferent: "I used to see these halls only on TV. And when you see them in person, the impressions are, of course, completely different. It's a pity I couldn't bring my son with me, although he asked very much," said Natalia Romanchuk.

Another agricultural veteran, Vasily Moroz, received the Order of Honor from the President. The man works as a machine operator at the agricultural enterprise "Kohanovichi" in the Verkhnedvinsk district. For almost 40 years of work, Vasily Moroz has had the opportunity to try various equipment - both tractors and forage harvesters.

"I was born and raised in a village. My father worked on a tractor all his life, my mother was a veterinarian. So I followed in their footsteps and have no regrets," Vasily Moroz said.

When asked how to achieve high performance in work, the man answered simply: "You need to treat the equipment carefully, love it. If you don't look after the machine and keep it in order, the work won't go well."

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