MINSK, 12 April (BelTA) – Belarus is set to increase food export up to $6 billion, Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Food Aleksei Bogdanov said in an interview with the STV TV channel, BelTA informs.
“This year our food export is to approach $6 billion; by 2025 it is expected to reach $7 billion, and this will be done by increasing output. For example, last year we produced 7.8 million tonnes of milk, while by 2025 we plan to produce 9.2 million tonnes; we make 1.26 million tonnes of meat of all types and this figure is expected to grow to 1.5 million tonnes by 2025. We are raising both domestic and foreign investment for this purpose,” the deputy minister said.
According to him, negotiations are currently underway with Chinese companies interested in investing in the construction of dairy farms and beef farms in Belarus.
Speaking about promising markets, Aleksei Bogdanov noted that domestic food producers are eyeing the Asian market, mostly China. “We are actively working with China, and last year China overtook Ukraine to become the third biggest market for Belarusian foodstuffs after Russia and Kazakhstan. We are determined not only to increase supplies, but also to expand the lineup of deliveries to these markets. We are also interested in the Algerian market, because today it is number one in terms of the import of powdered dairy products, and in recent years we have been actively working to certify our products in order to get access to this market,” the deputy minister said.