Business news

MINSK, 14 April (BelTA) – Latvia invites Belarus to boost bilateral trade in food, Latvian Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs told reporters before a meeting with Belarusian Agriculture and Food Minister Leonid Zayats on 14 April, BelTA has learned.

“With my Belarusian counterpart, we will discuss ways to step up cooperation in different areas, including in sanitary and veterinary control and trade in foodstuffs,” Janis Duklavs said. Latvia is also interested in Belarus-made agricultural machinery, particularly in tractors.

The Latvian Minister noted that today both Belarus and Latvia are eager to bolster ties. He stressed that it is time to move on from discussion of projects to their implementation.

Belarus and Latvia are working to sign an agreement on financial assistance for rabies vaccination of wildlife in 2016. In late March, the State Food and Veterinary Service of Lithuania submitted a draft of such an agreement to the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry. Belarus expects to receive a similar draft agreement from the Latvian Food and Veterinary Service.

The trade between the enterprises managed by the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry and Latvia totaled $6.9 million in 2015. Belarus exported $3.9 million worth of products and imported $3 million worth of goods. In January-February 2016, the trade made up $366,900 with exports at $124,900 and imports at $242,000.