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“In February we took part in the Gulfood expo, which left positive impressions. We understood that the market can be interesting for us from the point of view of selling raw-smoked sausages. Apart from that, the American partner — Rastelli Foods Group — has backed us up. If things turn out favorably, we will be able to start shipments in two months,” stressed the Director General.

According to Anatoly Grishuk, the fact that the company is not certified for compliance with Halal standards is the stumbling point. “We have been working to get Halal certification for a year and hope we will be able to finish it soon. Moreover, Arab veterinary inspectors are expected to arrive in Belarus in March. They will be able to certify us or voice their remarks. In any case the work will go faster,” he explained.

According to preliminary calculations, once the company is certified, the Grodno meat factory will be able to ship 100 tonnes of sausages per month by the end of 2016. “It is quite a large figure. We will be able to sell this much thanks to the new raw-smoked products division that was commissioned in summer 2015,” said Anatoly Grishuk.

BelTA reported earlier that the Grodno meat factory and the American company Rastelli Foods Group have signed a contract worth $50 million. The contract provides for delivering Grodno-made products (beef and products made of it such as steak and sausages) to the UAE for the next four years.

Rastelli Foods Group sells merchandise in virtually 80 countries. It is a major beef-processing company. It has four meat-processing factories and a trade and logistics hub. The annual output exceeds $1.2 billion.

The Grodno meat factory is Belarus’ largest meat-processing enterprise that offers over 450 product titles.