Business news

15 Dec 2024

Agriculture minister: Good prospects to ramp up Belarus' exports to Oman

MUSCAT, 15 December (BelTA) – Belarus can increase product supplies to Oman, set up joint ventures and re-export products to third countries, Belarusian Agriculture and Food Minister Anatoly Linevich told journalists during the working visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to Oman, BelTA has learned.

“I think that our prospects are quite good, as the Ministry [of Agriculture and Fisheries of Oman] and the minister in particular are very interested in it. We invited him to visit the Belagro expo in 2025. He gladly accepted the invitation. Plus, they will put together a working group that will visit our country and tour our enterprises,” the agriculture minister said.

A reminder, bilateral talks between Anatoly Linevich and Omani Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Dr. Saud bin Hammoud bin Ahmed Al Habsi and senior executives of the Omani Chamber of Commerce and Industry were held in Muscat during the head of state's visit.

Belarus already exports its products to Oman, but the Omani side is interested in significantly expanding the range of imports and increasing their volumes. Belarus' exports might as well include veterinary drugs.

Dairy products and baby food

A wide range of Belarusian dairy products are in demand in Oman. In January-October this year exports have increased 3.6 times year-on-year. The parties are working to identify new items in the agricultural sector to trade in. After that the two countries will set out on product processing projects in Oman.

“We sell skim milk powder, whole milk powder, and whey powder,” the agriculture minister said.

Today, the two countries are working on the supply of baby food made by the Volkovysk-based plant. “There is an agreement. In the first quarter, we will install a can packaging line to supply baby food to Oman. Our counterparts are very interested in this. And they are also engaged in re-export, thus we plan to set up a joint venture here to package our baby food. It will be produced here and then sold to neighboring countries,” said Anatoly Linevich.

Vaccines

Vaccine production is another topic of interest for Oman: “There was an agreement with the head of BelVitunipharm that we would give them a line of our vaccines. They want [to figure out] what works for them and buy it. They will determine in their laboratories what kind of vaccines they need. This matter is also under discussion.”

“In principle, certain general discussions have already taken place. Therefore, we hope to have a joint venture in the Sultanate of Oman going forward,” the minister added.

Camel milk drying

Another proposal from the Omani side is for Belarus to supply equipment for drying camel milk. “We will delve into this topic and work on it. We will decide what enterprise will manufacture equipment for drying camel milk,” Anatoly Linevich noted.

Fertilizers

As is known, the issue of food security is high on the agenda in Oman. The country imports a significant part of foodstuffs, but recently it has been trying to increase yields through the use of intensive technologies as much as possible (there are not many territories suitable for agriculture there). In this regard, Oman is interested in Belarusian fertilizers.

“In particular, nitrogen fertilizers. I see an interest in them from the Omani side,” the minister said.

The topic of supplying potash fertilizers was not discussed, but it is possible that it will arise later.

In the works: fish feed and poultry meat

The issue of supplying feed and amino acids made by the Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation (BNBC) is also under discussion. First of all, this is needed for the local fishing industry. “We are discussing these issues, but we have not yet come to terms. We have suggested building contacts with BNBC. I hope that they will consider this in the future and we will find some kind of common ground. Because a lot of fish is grown in Oman. Therefore, we will offer amino acids, all the products that BNBC produces,” noted Anatoly Linevich.

Belarus will also work out the possibility of supplying poultry meat to Oman. In this regard, some technical issues need to be resolved. One of them is that Oman and neighboring countries mainly need kilogram carcasses, while Belarus produces poultry mostly in 2 kg packages.

But if things go well, cooperation will be a win-win. “They do not hide the fact that they want to re-export products to neighboring countries. Of course, this is also beneficial for us. The main thing for us is to sell our products,” the minister said.