{"id":141323,"date":"2025-06-04T18:36:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T15:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/141323\/"},"modified":"2025-06-04T18:36:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T15:36:47","slug":"potato-shortages-expose-weaknesses-of-belarus-command-economy","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/141323\/","title":{"rendered":"Potato shortages expose weaknesses of Belarus\u2019 command economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The potato harvest was poor\u2014but the government\u2019s response to the resulting shortages was even worse.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Viktor Tolochko\/Sputnik Belarus)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Command system failure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 potato harvest last year was 22.5% lower than in 2023. While the shortfall alone was not catastrophic, the government’s response\u2014or lack thereof\u2014highlighted the structural weaknesses of a command economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In such systems, problems are often treated as threats to be hidden from the public and reported up the chain of command, rather than addressed pragmatically. Local officials typically lack both the authority and initiative to act independently, waiting instead for directives from higher up. In the case of the potato shortages, that directive came too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities had noticed rising potato prices as early as 2024, and economists had warned of a potential shortage well in advance. Nonetheless, potato exports continued, and the government failed to take timely steps\u2014such as securing imports from abroad\u2014to prevent domestic scarcity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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