Business news

MINSK, 15 May (BelTA) – The Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry is busy working out the strategy to sell Belarusian agricultural products via federal retail chains in the USA, BelTA learned from Alexei Bogdanov, Head of the Central Office for Foreign Economic Activities of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry.

The official said: “We definitely have the potential to step up cooperation. Together with American colleagues we are developing the strategy to advance Belarusian products to the federal retail chains and are creating brands together specifically for the project. Figuratively speaking, the Poshekhonsky cheese variety will be sold under a new brand that will be created specifically for the American market,” he said.

The Head of the Central Office for Foreign Economic Activities of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry said that at present Belarus-made products are sold in shops for emigrants. “We don’t see great prospects in this direction because young people, who are children of the previous generation, now visit these shops less frequently,” specified Alexei Bogdanov. This is why the Belarusian side would like to secure its stance on the market via the federal retail chains.

A Belarusian delegation led by Agriculture and Food Minister Leonid Zayats is expected to visit the USA on 17-23 May. While in the USA members of the delegation will meet with Deputy Under Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture Alexis Taylor, heads of the departments of agriculture of North Dakota and Wisconsin, the governors of North Dakota and Nebraska, top administrators of agricultural colleges, representatives of the American private sector, trade companies. Members of the Belarusian delegation will also take a tour of agricultural enterprises.

The visit will be focused on the development of meat and dairy cattle husbandry. Members of the delegation will visit the largest stock breeding centers, will be made familiar with cutting-edge advances in the sphere of genetics, new approaches to the upkeep and fattening at dairy and meat farms, said the official. Alexei Bogdanov also mentioned that the sides will discuss matters of education, including career enhancement options, and will consider the possibility of getting Belarusian specialists trained at American colleges and farms.

There are plans to raise the issue of Belarusian export diversification at the meeting of representatives of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry and the United States Department of Agriculture. “We are interested not only in importing high-quality breeding material for the Belarusian meat and dairy industry but also in supplying Belarusian products to the American market,” stated Alexei Bogdanov.

In 2014 enterprises run by the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry exported over $2.5 million worth of merchandise to the USA, 50% up from 2013. Although the share of Belarusian agricultural export on the American market is insignificant, in Q1 2015 Belarus’ export rose by 22% from January-March 2014 to $246,500. Belarusian exports included dairy and fish products, bakery products, macaroni products, confectionery products, juices, wine and vodka, flax.