Context: On April 14, 2026, during his visit to the Paluzh fish farm in the Mahilou Region, Aleksandr Lukashenko demanded that the market be filled with fish and ordered the construction of ten additional trout farming complexes. Belarus currently has six operational fish-farming facilities that cultivate valuable fish species.
On April 15, during the Ekspertnyi Klub program on the First National Channel of Belarusian Radio, presenter Maksim Kharyn discussed Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit to the Paluzh fish farm. He rejoiced at the success of Belarusian fish farms and talked about future exports:
“A state with no access to the sea or ocean manages to grow fish on its own. You know what I thought? We are going to start selling fish to the Baltic States, too. There, the fishing industry is being destroyed by Europe: as soon as they joined the European Union — here’s some money, now start winding up your nets,” he said.
The topic was presented in a similar tone in the newspaper SB. Belarus Segodnya as well. On April 3, it published an article headlined: “We’ll Have a Catch, We’ll Be Fed: How Fish Farming Is Developing in Belarus.” The article suggested that the industry was developing successfully. It stated that the country produced 14,000 tons of fish, meaning the domestic market would be supplied.
However, official statistics do not support this optimism. Producing about 14,500 tons of fish is not a breakthrough; it is an underperformance of yet another five-year program. The authorities had predicted that the volume would reach 17,700 tons under the Agribusiness program. However, the actual figure was approximately 14,500 tons.
In other words, money was invested in the industry for five years, expecting to increase production by about 3,000 tons. However, production did not reach the planned level and was slightly below the initial baseline.
The situation was similar in 2020. Although 18,200 tons were planned, only 14,900 tons were produced. The previous program did not fare any better. According to government plans, Belarus was supposed to produce nearly 23,000 tons of fish by 2015.
At the time, this goal didn’t seem unrealistic. Belarus actually farmed more fish about 15 years ago than it does now — around 18,000 tons. However, production declined sharply after 2012. It has never been possible to return it to its previous level after all this time. The 2030 goal has been revised to a more modest 16,000 tons.
Despite the construction of specialized facilities, expectations for trout and other valuable fish species were not met. As early as 2020, production was supposed to be roughly twice the current level. However, there was no observable growth in this area either.
The idea of delivering Belarusian fish to Lithuania also seems doubtful. As in Belarus, fish, including carp, are raised there. The production volumes in Lithuania are indeed significantly lower, amounting to approximately three times less. However, given the size difference between the two countries, these figures are quite comparable.
Thus, the claims about the rapid development of Belarusian fish farming are not supported by the figures. The country’s fish production has actually fallen short of the targets set by the authorities for their own programs. So far, the industry has shown a tendency toward chronic underperformance rather than sustained growth.