Łukašenka demands fast-food chain switch fully to local potatoes

August 28, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka has directed the Mak.by fast-food chain, which replaced McDonald’s in Belarus two years ago, to use only domestically grown potatoes, Pul Pervogo, his press office’s unofficial Telegram channel reports.
“Starting October 1, Mak.by must not use any imported potatoes or cutlets. Everything on the menu should be Belarusian. Why are you feeding people this American junk?” he said while visiting the Mahiloŭ region’s Kiraŭsk district.
Łukašenka was confident that this year’s potato harvest would be “sufficient,” pointing to an expansion in cultivated areas. He emphasized that Belarusian potatoes would be in high demand abroad, especially in Russia.
He also called on potato suppliers to “establish clear links with retail chains to ensure that potatoes are delivered to stores on time and that the situation that occurred this spring does not repeat itself,” in a reference to potato shortages earlier this year.
In 2024, Belarus’ potato harvest was 22.5 percent lower than in 2023.
Potato prices drop nearly 5 percent after months of sharp increases
- PoliticsMinsk restricts Lithuanian trucks to checkpoints closed by VilniusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsInterior ministry brands 26 as extremistsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsŁukašenka eyes "grand bargain" with Washington based on his interestsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsMinsk hints it may keep border crossings to Lithuania, Poland closedThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsŁukašenka accuses Poland of violating a deal on Poczobut's releaseThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityZelensky: Russia's Oreshnik missiles in Belarus to threaten EuropeThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsŁukašenka claims journalist Pratasievič was a Minsk spy during arrest in 2021The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- SocietyFour workers injured in explosion at Biełaruskalij’s shopThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Society
- Economy
- Economy, Politics, SecurityLithuania recovers three balloons after Vilnius Airport emergency closureThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus ranks low on Rule of Law IndexThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityThree Belarusians among 1,292 deserters listed by UkraineThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityMigrant activity at Belarus-EU border jumps 43 percent year on year in OctoberThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsReprisals: Online censorship, disclosure of sentencesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SocietyVilnius Airport suspends operations for three hours over balloon incursionsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus' top diplomat says Minsk ready to back North Korea internationallyThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, Politics, Security
- EconomyBelarus supplied 2,000 tractors to Nigeria – deputy PMThe material is available only to POZIRK+



