«How to take soil to Minsk?» such unusual questions of the EcoFestival quests could puzzle Google, Siri and Alice this year. For you not to torture your «smart assistants», we got to know the details and rules from the competent authorities. We remind you that soil and dirt are included in the list of regulated products subject to phytosanitary control at the border and at the place of delivery.
How to pass the phytosanitary inspection?
Option 1. A simple one
Choose a border crossing point where there are specialists from the Main State Inspectorate for Seed Production, Plant Protection and Quarantine. They will be able to conduct phytosanitary inspections directly at customs. Here are these particular points:
On the State Border of the Republic of Belarus with the Republic of Latvia:
Railway points: Polotsk (Belarus) – Daugavpils (Latvia);
Road points: Grigorovshchina – Paternieki, Urbany – Silene.
On the State Border of the Republic of Belarus with the Republic of Lithuania:
Railway points: Molodechno (Belarus) – Vaidotai (Lithuania);
Road points: Beniakoni – Shalchininkai, Kamenniy Log – Medininkai, Kotlovka – Lavorishkes, Privalka – Raygardas.
On the State Border of the Republic of Belarus with the Republic of Poland:
Road points: Berestovitsa (Belarus) – Bobrovniki (Poland), Warshavskiy Most [Warsaw Bridge] – Terespol, Bruzgi – Kuznitsa Białostockaia, Domaczewo – Slowaczy, Kozłowiczy – Kukuryki.
On the State Border of the Republic of Belarus with Ukraine:
Railway points: Brest-Vostochny (Belarus) – Kovel (Ukraine), Luninets – Sarny, Gomel-Nechetny – Chernigov, Kalinkovichi – Ovruch;
Road points: Verkhniy Terezhov – Gorodische, Mokrany – Domanovo, Novaya Guta – Novye Yarylovichi, Novaya Rudnya – Vystavovichi.
Airport points:
National Airport «Minsk».
Option 2. A forward-thinking one
You can obtain a phytosanitary certificate for a soil sample in your home land and not to deal with this issue at the customs border, crossing point. This certificate is required if you plan to bring more than 5 kg of land (we need 2-3 kg).
Option 3. A risky one
The first two options will give you peace of mind, and necessary land samples for the EcoTechnoPark. But there are also those who choose to rely on luck, loyalty or inattention on the part of border control officials. They could get lucky, too.
However, if questions do arise at the border and customs officials are adamant, administrative liability is foreseen. Import into the Republic of Belarus of seeds, plants, plant products and other materials (including soils) that have not passed the phytosanitary control and, if necessary, appropriate treatment may result in a fine in the amount of 255 to 765 BYN (≈ 125-376$).
What else is important to remember when exporting/importing soil and soil samples?
What kind of soil should be taken?
The festival organizers ask to bring 2–3 kilograms of living fertile soil, untouched by ploughing, mineral fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. The soil should be naturally moist (not dried out), with all natural microflora and microfauna, bugs and worms, roots and seeds of plants, etc. It's best to take a sample in the woods, on the summer cottage or garden plot.
Rules of soil export from the country
We have explained how to bring soil to Belarus. However, in some countries there might arise questions related to exporting soil samples from their territories. These questions may be settled with a phytosanitary certificate received by the EcoFest 2019 guests in their country. If it is not available, it is better to get to know the order of exporting soil from the territory of your own country.
Why to go through that all to bring soil?
Maybe the above rules caused some doubts in you: «Is it really worth doing?» We remind you what the organizers of EcoFest 2019 have started all of it for.
A special bank of living soils and soil microorganisms is set up on-site of the EcoTechnoPark. It is planned to collect the maximum variety of samples from different regions of the world. This is necessary to create a unique relic humus that can be used to restore all types of soil, increase their fertility and slow down their degradation.
In the future, it is planned to combine the technology of industrial production of relic humus from brown coal and shale with power generation. This will allow obtaining raw materials for increasing soil fertility and transforming power generation to minimize its harmful impact on the environment. We suggest that EcoFest 2019 guests would just bring a few handfuls of ground from their homeland with the aim to save the future of our planet.