Business news

7 Oct 2020

Foreign diplomats visit Ivatsevichdrev company in Brest Oblast

IVATSEVICHI, 7 October (BelTA) – On 7 October the Ivatsevichdrev woodworking company held a presentation of Belarusian woodworking companies that sell their products abroad. The event was attended by representatives of over 20 diplomatic missions, BelTA has learned.

The presentation was arranged by the Belarusian timber, woodworking, pulp and paper industry concern Bellesbumprom jointly with the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry as part of the annual Day of Commercial Counselor. The diplomats in attendance represented embassies from all the continents. The diplomats toured the company’s premises and studied the production of furniture and chipboard.

“This is an established practice, and I want to say, it is of great interest to the diplomats, since it implies direct contacts with manufacturers, an opportunity to see their technological level. Most importantly, this type of communication produces tangible results. I know of several examples when diplomats' visits to our enterprises resulted in contracts for the supply of Belarusian products,” Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Ulakhovich said.

Attending the presentation was an adviser for economic affairs of the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan. Sharing his impressions, the diplomat said: “Today we have seen a very modern high-tech enterprise. I think we need to seriously consider cooperation with this company. We are particularly interested in the company’s chipboard. We have one contract, but I think other deals will follow soon. There are difficulties with logistics, because the distance is huge, but the quality is all important for us.”

According to Ambassador of Moldova to Belarus Victor Sorocean, Belarusian products are well known in his country. The diplomat noted that he was amazed by the production level of Ivatsevichdrev. “I was pleasantly surprised by this enterprise. There is not even dust on the shoes, it is like visiting a food company. I think that I will talk to our entrepreneurs in order to expand the geography of supplies within Belarus,” the ambassador said.

Ivatsevichdrev is one of the highly profitable enterprises of the Bellesbumprom concern. According to Deputy Chairman of the concern, Aleksandr Pshenny, all enterprises are now operating steadily and are set to fulfill their targets. “We have posted an export surplus, that is, we are going above 100% of the target in this challenging time. We export to more than 60 countries of the world. We are not standing still but are trying to expand the geography of our supplies. We hope that this meeting will give a new impetus to our export,” he said.

Speaking about development prospects for the industry, the deputy chairman of the concern said: “We have recently defended a five-year development program - we will improve and build new production facilities. The pulp and paper industry will receive a new lease on life after the commissioning of Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill. Great prospects are ahead for pellet production and the wood chemistry. In other words, we know where to go and where to move. And such enterprises as Ivatsevichdrev, the production of boards (the concern can produce about 1 million cubic meters of them) pave the way for the development of the furniture industry. Over the five years the number of furniture makers in the country has doubled to reach 1,300.”