In September 2024, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko visited the SPARTAN-AGRO farm, which grows apples and agricultural produce. The Belarusian leader had first met the head of the farm somewhat earlier, at a nationwide community work day. It turned out that Igor Abramchik is not an agricultural specialist by training but an engineer-economist who graduated from the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, yet still ended up working the land. «An IT guy,» the president concluded.
On 5 May 2026, at a meeting with the leadership of the Council of Ministers, the Belarusian president considered the question of merging Orsha Meat Canning Plant into Agrokombinat Dzerzhinsky. It was then that Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the reclaimed lands belonging to Agrokombinat Dzerzhinsky and proposed an option for how they could be used — to plant a good orchard. «That guy in Molodechno, he knows how to do it. He would help if needed,» the head of state said at the time, noting that such a decision would make it possible to fully supply Minsk with apples. Ultimately, the SPARTAN-AGRO farm planted an apple orchard on the way out of Minsk in the Logoisk direction.
«It was probably my dream, which I did not voice. I thought we would finish the project we started here, in Molodechno District, and then think about how and from which side to properly approach entering the capital’s market. But the president got ahead of our wishes, so to speak, and it so happened that we will now also be represented in Minsk,» Igor Abramchik said.
According to the head of the farm, the apple trees were planted in the same year as the president’s visit. «They have already begun to bear fruit, since two years have passed. And we are increasing production volumes step by step. Today we have around 340 hectares under apple orchards. By this autumn, more than 200 hectares will be brought into use,» he added.
Igor Abramchik noted that there are no problems with the land. «We understand perfectly well that everything will be fine there. Yes, there may be some plots that are not suitable for an orchard. But everything is shaping up so that this plot is fine and suitable for growing apples. That is why the first saplings will be planted there as early as this autumn,» he explained.
«We plan to spend up to Br70,000 per hectare at the time of planting. But it should also be understood that to bring the orchard to break-even, according to the business plan, we will need another five years to recoup it. That is why for those five years we need to budget another Br70,000 or so,» Igor Abramchik added.
