Business news

MINSK, 6 April (BelTA) – The public joint-stock company (OAO) Slutsk Cheese Factory (Complimilk trademark) intends to resume merchandise export to Russia, BelTA learned from Yulia Shchesnyuk, the company’s Deputy Director General for Commerce.

According to the source, the parent enterprise and all the branches are going to resume deliveries to Russia. As of 5 April 2016 the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of Russia (Rosselkhoznadzor) lifted the temporary restrictions on exporting the merchandise the company makes to Russia. “In essence we can export right away,” noted the Complimilk Deputy Director General for Commerce.

The Rosselkhoznadzor website reads that the temporary restrictions are lifted, provided imports go through enhanced lab tests. Rosselkhoznadzor specialists will also have to take at least ten samples of the relevant kinds of merchandise of every enterprise for the sake of verifying the safety of the merchandise in the previously detected risk groups.

Yulia Shchesnyuk said that Complimilk is now trying to get more information about the enhanced lab tests and is deciding how the Slutsk-based company will operate.

In February 2016 the Agribusiness Policy Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission decided to look into the reasons behind restrictions on Belarusian export to Russia. Back then the Eurasian Economic Commission received a letter from the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of Russia (Rosselkhoznadzor) announcing the intention of the Russian agency to introduce temporary restrictions on the export of products made by several Belarusian food enterprises as from 10 February. The Belarusian enterprises included OAO Slutsk Cheese Factory (Complimilk trademark) and the Lyuban-based and Kopyl-based branches of the company. Violations of veterinary and sanitary regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian Federation were quoted as the reasons behind the decision of the Russian agency.

OAO Slutsk Cheese Factory (Complimilk trademark) is one of Belarus’ oldest dairy enterprises. Its history began in 1935 when a creamery was commissioned in Slutsk. In 1995 the company was re-incorporated as a public joint-stock company (OAO). In 2007-2008 the company took over dairy factories in Uzda and Pukhovichi, a creamery in Staryye Dorogi, the agricultural enterprise Znamensky. The new acquisitions were converted into the Uzda branch, Pukhovichi branch, Staryye Dorogi branch, and the agricultural branch of Slutsk Cheese Factory. In 2012 Complimilk continued growing larger to include a dairy factory in Soligorsk, a creamery in Lyuban, a butter factory in Kletsk, a manufacturing branch in Nesvizh, the agricultural enterprise Kletsky, and a creamery in Kopyl.

The parent enterprise and the branches are now undergoing a retooling campaign to the tune of about $10-12 million. The company offers rennet cheese, melted cheese, quark cheese, sour cream, milk, kefir, yogurt, fermented milk drinks, whey, butter and spreads, ice cream, mayonnaise, and sauces.