Business news

GOMEL, 10 August (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has given instructions to launch a large-scale program to restore and modernize vehicles, which are past their service life. The head of state gave the instructions as he visited the Gomel-based agricultural machinery manufacturer Gomselmash on 10 August, BelTA has learned.

According to the head of state, the program should primarily cover vehicles made by Belarusian giants such as MAZ, MTZ, and Gomselmash. In particular, Alexander Lukashenko pointed out that restoring and upgrading old vehicles can become solid part of Gomselmash’s business. Such vehicles could sell well not only in Belarus but also in neighboring countries – Russia and Ukraine. On the other hand, agricultural companies could have their old vehicles and machines restored at one third or half the price of a new vehicle. It turned out that Gomselmash already offers such a service but it is limited to Gomel Oblast for now. “We should get the program working on the national scale,” said the president.

Alexander Lukashenko gave instructions to flesh out the program this winter and get down to practical implementation as from 1 January.

“Our ministers of industry and agriculture will work on it. We should put it on planned rails on the national scale,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

“I cannot allow Gomselmash to disappear. But in order to survive in a tough competitive environment it is necessary to look for new volumes of work,” stressed the head of state. “It is a good piece of work. It is not news. MAZ works like that already. MTZ does it, too. Tractors are being restored in municipal maintenance depots.”