MINSK, 6 March (BelTA) – A Belarusian exposition has been arranged for the first time ever during the international expo Sudan Agrofood in Khartoum. The expo was opened on 4 March, representatives of the exhibition organizing enterprise BelInterExpo of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BelCCI) told BelTA.
The exposition Made in Belarus was organized by BelInterExpo with assistance of the Embassy of Belarus in Egypt with concurrent accreditation to Sudan. The first day was declared Day of Belarus. A business forum involving officials, diplomats, heads of business unions and representatives of business circles of Belarus and Sudan took place on 5 March.
Agricultural machinery and food products from more than a dozen Belarusian companies are on display. A number of these companies already operate on the Sudanese market. Other ones intend to find business partners during the expo.
Machines and equipment made by companies accountable to the Belarusian Industry Ministry are already represented on the Sudanese market. The country uses over 2,400 MTZ tractors. MAZ trucks and Gomselmash grain harvesters are also shipped to Sudan. Belarusian mechanical engineering companies demonstrated their products during the expo, including as full-scale samples.
The Belarusian confectioneries Spartak and Slodych, Minsk Margarine Plant and other companies accountable to the Belarusian state food industry concern Belgospishcheprom are taking part in the expo. Sudanese visitors showed a strong interest in Spartak chocolate and sweets and in Slodych’s broad choice of cookies and pastry. Minsk Margarine Plant demonstrated a number of products that may sell well on the African market: margarines, spreads, vegetable oils, sauces, ketchups, mayonnaise varieties with a long storage life.
BelInterExpo attributed the growing interest in the Sudanese market to several factors. Sudan’s huge territory is rich in natural resources, which extraction rises every year. A considerable part of the country has fertile soils and is fit for crop husbandry and animal husbandry, which is why Sudan is often called a food basket in the region. Due to the country’s access to the sea and its common border with seven African countries Sudan is viewed as a platform for developing trade in the region and for setting up joint production.