Business news

MINSK, 5 February (BelTA) – Belarus and Georgia are mulling over alternative routes for product delivery, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Georgia Mikhail Myatlikov said in an interview to the Belarus 1 TV Channel on 4 February, BelTA has learned.

“The main transport corridor, through which products are delivered from Belarus to Georgia, and from Georgia to Belarus today, is the Georgian Military Road, the pass through the Caucasian Mountains. Unfortunately, weather conditions, especially in winter, are such that avalanches constantly happen, and vehicles have to stand idle. The first task that we are setting today is to search for alternative options to deliver products, especially perishable food products. One option is to deliver by rail to Odessa and then to the port of Poti or the port of Batumi. The transport commissions of Georgia and Belarus need to resolve the tariff issue together with Ukraine,” said Mikhail Myatlikov.

In his words, the number of Belarusian goods on the Georgian market has been constantly growing. “We have increased the number of commodity items over the past year. Belarus sells its cosmetics and household chemicals to Georgia. Today every fifth carton of milk produced in Georgia is made from Belarusian skimmed milk powder." Belsolod supplies a large amount of malt for beer production in Georgia,” added the ambassador.

He added that to set up a Belarusian trading house in Georgia, it is necessary to work out certain volumes of supplies. “The pace is good. Our products are winning space in the Georgian trading networks. It is necessary, however, to increase certain volumes in order to open a wholesale and logistics center,” said Mikhail Myatlikov. According to him, the Days of Belarusian Culture in Georgia also contributed to the growth of interest in Belarusian goods.

The ambassador also talked about the development of joint ventures in Georgia. In his words, the breakeven point in the project on assembling Mogilevliftmash elevators in Georgia is 300 elevators a year. “For getting Made in Georgia certificate it is necessary to fulfill a number of criteria. First of all, the level of localization should be at least 50%,” he added.

The two countries plan to develop a project to assemble Belarusian tractors in Georgia. “Belarusian tractors are popular with Georgian farmers. We are currently looking for manufacturing companies in Georgia, where we can produce certain elements to ensure the required level of localization,” Mikhail Myatlikov said.