President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko emphasizes the importance for the country of producing modern domestically made logging equipment. He stated this during a visit to the AMKODOR-LESMASH enterprise in the Logoysk district, reports a BELTA correspondent.

The head of state noted that without appropriate equipment, working in the forest under modern conditions is impossible. "No one works with an axe or a Druzhba-2 saw anymore. And there's no need to. Therefore, without your harvesters and forwarders, we won't be able to do anything there," he said.

"We need to do it faster." Lukashenko sets demanding tasks for the forestry sector.

Lukashenko: land and forest are our everything.

"How does he control this machine?" Lukashenko set the task of fine-tuning processes at large enterprises.

The president stressed that it is important to continue working on improving the quality of products, both the logging equipment line and the products of the AMKODOR holding as a whole. "I very much count on you to push AMKODOR not down but up, and there will be a result," said Alexander Lukashenko, addressing the general director of OJSC AMKODOR — the holding's management company — Alexander Efimov.

As for forestry equipment, the head of the enterprise assured that AMKODOR is ready to meet the needs of domestic logging in specialized machines. Including with the prospect of increasing volumes in order to harvest mature forest in a timely manner, which the head of state emphasizes.

Alexander Lukashenko also drew attention to the fact that it is necessary not only to meet the needs of the domestic market, but also to supply these products for export. For example, to the Russian Federation. "We need to work for export. And we have somewhere to go. We need to help Russians in the forest," he said. The head of the holding assured the head of state that work in this direction is already underway. There is interest in AMKODOR forestry equipment from a number of Russian regions — in particular, the Arkhangelsk region.

"We must hurry, we must do it faster. Such a period (difficult, hard, but at the same time advantageous for us) will not happen again in Belarus's history in the foreseeable future. Do not relax under any circumstances. Because you will quickly occupy the markets that are being freed up. And in Belarus, we must definitely intensify logging," the Belarusian leader stressed. "We must act quickly and work as much as needed."

As reported to Alexander Lukashenko, machines produced by AMKODOR account for 52% of the total fleet of logging equipment. To date, the enterprise in Logoysk has reached its design capacity of 120 units of equipment per year. Meanwhile, the average consumption of forestry machines up to 2030 is forecast at about 100 units annually. Thus, the capacities of AMKODOR-LESMASH make it possible in the future not only to meet the needs of Belarus's forestry complex, but also to supply machines for export.

In this regard, the President asked whether the enterprise was operating at full capacity. Alexander Efimov noted that it was impossible to increase equipment production in the existing buildings, but the enterprise had a reserve for development through a possible expansion of its production areas. Further plans include developing in-house competencies, expanding the range of products, and completing the commissioning of all production capacities, bringing the annual output to 250 machines.

The Belarusian leader asked the Minister of Forestry, Sergey Uldinovich, about the quality of domestic equipment. Uldinovich is a person who has a direct connection to the forestry industry and can observe AMKODOR machines directly during operation. "What doesn't suit you here, what's bad?" the head of state clarified. According to the minister, AMKODOR forestry equipment had certain problems, but most of them have been resolved. In addition, the enterprise works in close cooperation with organizations of the Ministry of Forestry to develop service maintenance for timber processing equipment. "If you are satisfied, then you will be responsible for all the flaws in the forest that I see," Alexander Lukashenko warned Sergey Uldinovich.

The head of state recalled that a number of decisions had previously been made regarding AMKODOR, including financial ones. In this connection, he asked: "Is there a result from this? Or is this again just a breath of air, and then there will be a pit?"

The President was informed that AMKODOR-LESMASH and other enterprises of the holding are showing revenue growth rates, and there is also positive dynamics in exports. Work is underway to increase the localization of equipment and the utilization of enterprise capacities. Issues related to further improving product quality are being addressed. This gives reason to believe that already next year, export products will be shipped in larger volumes.

The President took a detailed look at the production process and samples of the products manufactured at the enterprise. The head of state was also given a practical demonstration of a machine complex — domestically produced harvester and forwarder.

As he was informed, the enterprise has already carried out extensive import substitution work, producing domestically made components that are not inferior to the best foreign counterparts. These include harvester heads — the most expensive and knowledge-intensive unit. This line of work has become all the more relevant after a number of countries imposed sanctions on Belarus and its enterprises.

In this regard, Alexander Lukashenko reminded of his initial demand to officials and enterprise management. "Talking about sanctions is forbidden. No talk about it! This is a time of opportunities. If we hadn't been squeezed, we wouldn't have this. And if we had, it wouldn't be in our lifetime. There you go — the result. If you don't want to, you don't have to; we did it ourselves. And if we are a smart machine-building country, we must do this, no matter the cost," he stressed, citing the example of mastering the production in Belarus of all the necessary equipment for logging.

The President noted that the state will always find funds for such projects. The main thing is not to miss the moment to produce in-demand products and carve out one's niche in the market. And this applies not only to logging equipment. "Extra money