Business news

28 Jul 2020

Support for real sector identified as key area of Belarusian government’s work

Roman Golovchenko

MOGILEV, 28 July (BelTA) – Support for the real sector of the economy is one of the key areas of work of the state. Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko made the relevant statement while talking to OAO Mogilevkhimvolokno workers, BelTA has learned.

The prime minister noted: “Support for the real sector of the economy is one of the key areas of work of the state. In the most complicated periods that Belarusian enterprises encounter in the course of their work our government is always ready to lend a hand. The enterprises receive various kinds of aid in the form of cheaper electricity and heating energy, exemption from some taxes. Today I was made familiar with manufacturing facilities of Mogilevkhimvolokno for the first time. I am pleased to note that the enterprise has survived in a complicated period for the world economy. The existing support on the part of the state helps keep the manufacturing facilities working, keep people employed and paid. However, we see that one of the country’s leading enterprises is having problems with fulfilling the head of state’s instructions on implementing an investment project, which provides for making polyether products. We have to get down to the bottom of the problem and find a solution.”

During the conversation with the prime minister Mogilevkhimvolokno workers asked questions concerning the implementation of the project for retooling the manufacturing facilities. They also asked him about salaries and future fate of the enterprise.

Roman Golovchenko noted: “Representatives of the oblast administration and the city administration, Mogilevkhimvolokno management, and top officials of [the Belarusian state petrochemical concern] Belneftekhim have gathered here today in order to find out why the modernization of the enterprise was not finished by the planned deadline. Only the first stage of the large-scale project has been implemented and is working now.”

The first stage of the project was completed in 2018 and Mogilevkhimvolokno started making polyester fiber using direct molding. The output capacity is 50,000 tonnes per annum. It allowed the company to start making a new type of polyether fiber – conjugated polyether fiber – which has no analogues in Belarus or other CIS states.

“The world market is constantly moving and we have to keep up with the changes. The plans concerning Mogilevkhimvolokno’s modernization will be looked at once again. It is quite a complicated period for the entire world right now and it is necessary to more cautiously make decisions on large-scale projects. We’ve discussed how we will proceed in order to fulfill the president’s instructions with minimum risks. The instructions will be fulfilled, probably with small changes in order to match the modern market,” Roman Golovchenko summed it up.