MINSK, 17 August (BelTA) – Belarus’ priorities within the next five years will include the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Belarus Economy Minister Vladimir Zinovsky said in an interview with the ONT TV show Kontury on 16 August, BelTA has learned.
“We believes that SMEs rapid development is behind the progress within the next five years. Besides, loans should be distributed through competition,” the minister noted.
According to Vladimir Zinovsky, the country needs to increase the volume of industrial manufacturing by the end of the year. “It should not be increased through backlog of inventory however. We should see that these products are sold. Secondly, we have credit lines, including Chinese loans. They should be used to the full,” the minister said. “We cannot say that we have no problems with these loans. However, we have successful examples: BelGee, Great Stone Industrial Park, the Svetlogorsk Cellulose Plant and a number of other companies that have already been commissioned to use the loans more effectively,” Vladimir Zinovsky said.
The minister added that the country lives within its means: the labor productivity in Belarus surpassed the wage increase in H1 2015.