Agro-Industrial Complex in the Economic Policy on Belarus
Purpose: The study aims to verify two hypotheses: 1) in Belarus, the agri-food complex does not exist in the conceptual understanding of the economic complex, 2) the branches of the agri-food sector do not have a significant impact on the economic growth. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analysis of dynamics, structure, correlation, and regression were chosen as research methods. The initial data for the study were the materials of official statistics, state programs of socio-economic development. Findings: In Belarus, the agro-industrial complex (referred to as the AIC) is an object of state control and is positioned as a factor in the country's economic growth. The article clarifies the category "agro-industrial complex," shows the methods of policy in the AIC and the place of this complex in the structure of the Belarusian economy. The issue was identified, the AIC as a structural unit of the economy and an object of public administration does not have an unambiguous interpretation. Its boundaries are not delineated. It is shown that the state policy in the field of the AIC does not cover the economic complex as integrity, but only two independent types of economic activity - agriculture and food production. Based on the analysis of management methods in the AIC, it was concluded that in Belarus, the AIC as an economic complex of interrelated industries, as a structural unit of the economy does not exist, and the use of the term AIC and its positioning as a locomotive of the state economy is erroneous. It is shown that the agro-food sector does not significantly impact the economic growth of Belarus. Practical Implications: The research results can be used to adjust the state policy in the agri-food sector and substantiate the facts of economic growth. Originality/Value: The article attempts to argue the incorrect positioning of the AIC as the most important economic complex in the national economy of Belarus.