A. Lukashenko demands the creation of high value-added production in Belarus /updated/

July 20, Postavy /BelTA/. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko demands the creation of production facilities for high value-added products in Belarus. He set this task today while visiting the private unitary enterprise "Postavy Furniture Center", BelTA correspondent reports.

Alexander Lukashenko believes that the construction of mini-CHP plants is a promising area, on the basis of which new production facilities can be created, in particular, wood drying complexes and full-fledged furniture production. "We don't need semi-finished products. The fact that we sell pallets somewhere needs to be looked into and this robbery stopped. We need to sell products with high added value," the head of state emphasized.

The private unitary enterprise "Postavy Furniture Center" was established in 2003 on the basis of the woodworking enterprise of individual entrepreneur Anatoly Babichev, who currently heads it. The enterprise specializes in the production of blind and glazed door blocks made of glued pine massif and valuable wood species, and fuel pellets. The annual output of products is about 200 thousand door blocks. In the first five months of 2011, the enterprise received over Br5.5 billion in net profit, and the export growth rate compared to the same period last year was 140.6%. The production facilities include two sawmills with a capacity of 80 thousand cubic meters per year, four woodworking shops, a finishing shop, a packaging shop, a fuel pellet production shop with a capacity of 12 thousand tons per year, a glass processing shop, and a workshop for manufacturing doors from valuable wood species. The enterprise is also equipped with a high-performance drying complex. With the commissioning of the pellet production shop in 2010, the enterprise ensured waste-free wood processing. The enterprise exports 85% of all manufactured products to Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Italy, Libya, and Azerbaijan. It has a certificate of conformity of the Belarusian and Russian standard.

Addressing the head of the enterprise, Alexander Lukashenko suggested diversifying production, because, in the President's opinion, today there is demand for timber abroad, tomorrow it may not be, so it is necessary to have another alternative production, or even two or three. In particular, Alexander Lukashenko considers participation in the development of the tourism industry promising. "The fifth column" criticized me that Ksinets and I built a tourist facility. True, they filmed and posted online a house that is not even the one I live in. But this facility - come, relax, take a bath, of course, for money, but not a lot. Tourist facilities need to be developed there. Rich people are asking to go there, ready to pay a thousand dollars a day. Let them write. Our job is to do. If foreigners come here, and they will gladly come here, there will be no end to them," said the head of state, adding that this year Belarusian recreation centers cannot meet the demand. "I haven't been there yet, they just criticize me. It's a good facility, we will develop it, we need to build another 10-15 houses there," the President noted. "Therefore, we need to listen less and do more," the head of state added. "When the fifth column criticizes, consider that we are doing the right thing." -0-