Business news

MINSK, 3 April (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko gave an instruction to make original food products and tap into new markets as he spoke at the national seminar held on 3 April to discuss rural development and ways to enhance the efficiency of the country’s agrarian sector, BelTA has learned.

“Making products is one thing. Processing them and selling at a profit is another. Today’s customer is demanding. There is a large supply on the market, and it will keep growing,” the Belarusian leader underlined.

The positive thing is that Belarus’ agricultural and food exports went up by 16% in 2017 to reach almost $5 billion, he added. “It is getting harder and harder to branch out into new markets with the traditional lineup of products. We need to launch the production of high-quality original products based on high-level processing,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

We should take into account stiffer competition from foreign exporters and manufacturers, changing prices on the global food market, and also trade, political, and technical barriers, the president emphasized. “This is why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Agriculture and Food Ministry should team up to reach the common goal,” the head of state noted.

The Belarusian agricultural companies should also revise their approaches to the supply of raw materials. “Today neither the manufacturers nor the processors bear the responsibility for the quality of raw materials. Every processing company must create sustainable raw material zones to produce specific kinds of agricultural raw materials. They also must define the qualitative indicators, volumes and terms of supply, prices and payment terms, obligations and guarantees of the stakeholders,” Alexander Lukashenko pointed out.