MINSK, 24 September (BelTA) – Since the beginning of 2020, Belarus' export of household appliances and agricultural machinery has increased, but, in general, export by companies affiliated with the Belarusian Industry Ministry went down, Belarus Deputy Industry Minister Sergei Gunko told journalists on 24 September, BelTA has learned.
“This year, our companies have boosted export of household appliances by 5-10% on average year-on-year. The decision not to put the manufacturing industry on hold [due to the pandemic] yielded positive results as we continued manufacturing products and improved our export capacity,” Sergei Gunko noted.
This year, export of farm machines has also gone up by at least 7% year-on-year. “There are good growth points, because Russia has not stopped financing the ongoing programs and the regions have allocated funds for 2020,” he said.
Until late July, supplies of tractors fell short of the rate of 2019. Sales usually go up in August-September, but this year the demand was lower than usual and supplies decreased by 7-8%.
Car sales have been going up and down. In the early spring, Belarus saw a rise in sales to Russia, but in May there was a glut in the market, also due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, in August, Russia reported a shortage of cars just at a time when BelGee rolled out the new Geely Coolray. “This model enjoys high demand in Russia and has become a bestseller,” Sergei Gunko said.
“Speaking about export in general, we are currently at 92-93% [as against the same period of 2019] in U.S. dollar terms, taking into account shipments to third countries,”he added.
Companies affiliated with the Industry Ministry currently export to 120 countries. They are working to increase presence in Africa.
In this five-year period, the Industry Ministry has overseen the implementation of over 30 investment projects, including the projects to commission a new manufacturing facility at Belarusian Steel Works (BMZ trademark) and the car factory BelGee. “In the past five years, we have manufactured around 500 new models of TV sets, about 220 new microwave oven models, and more than 50 new refrigerator models,” Sergei Gunko said.
The ministry is currently overseeing the implementation of 26 investment projects. According to Sergei Gunko, they are mostly going according to schedule.
Written by minsk-region.gov.by
