Leanid Zaika: Let Lukashenka Stay In Agriculture

Since the dictator imagines himself an all-knowing agrarian, let him do just that.

The well-known economist commented on Lukashenka's "linen advice" and his parting words to scientists to be guided in work by "Stalinist methods."

– This approach is absolutely wrong, – Leanid Zaika said in the express commentary to Salidarnasts. – First one has to analyze whether the goods from flax are in demand. Is there is a deficit of two billion dollars for the supply of flax in the world? It’s not the case. So what kind of "oil" are we talking about?

According to Leanid Zaika, the market of linen fabrics is very competitive:

– Now there is a lot of linen cambric, linen fiber and other linen fabrics, which are produced in Egypt and other countries. The production of flax there is very advanced. And here... I think that when Belarusian sellers hear about linen cambric they make faces that remind of the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They just do not know what it is.

According to the expert, flax growing is a culture of the 19th century, and it does not make sense for our country to invest huge sums of money in it:

– It's better to find 200 million dollars and send them on producing 3D printers in Belarus. It is quite a different proposition.

Speaking about whether it is necessary for the Belarusian agriculture to be guided by Stalin's methods, the economist answers:

– I do not mind whether they are Stalin's methods or Henry the Fourth’s. Since Lukashenka is our main specialist in the field of agriculture, let him do whatever he wants. However, it is desirable that he would not do anything else. Everyone would say a huge thanks to him.