The new line of baby food was tested at JSC "Vitebsk Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plant"

It is hard to believe that just five years ago this enterprise was considered unprofitable. Now its sales profitability is 21 percent, and according to management, this is not the limit. In 10 months, the open joint-stock company produced products worth about 40 billion rubles, selling them both in the domestic market and in Turkmenistan, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Slovakia. Export deliveries of 300 thousand US dollars are a good support for the plant, which is interested in currency to pay for imported energy-saving equipment.

Soon it will arrive here from Europe. Following the tender, an Italian enterprise has been selected as its manufacturer and supplier. The new equipment will allow for the development of heat-stable fillings for the confectionery industry in 2013. This is not produced anywhere else in our republic. By the way, this is import-substituting, innovative product with high added value. The implementation of this project will require 800 thousand euros. Next year, the plant also plans to start producing children's teas – infusions of fennel, chamomile, dill, and other herbs beneficial for babies.
But the most important project, costing 6 billion rubles, 4 of which have already been mastered, will become a landmark event of next year not only for OJSC "Vitebsk Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plant" but, perhaps, for the entire concern "Belgospishcheprom". We are talking about the production of products whose deficit is still felt in the domestic market – pureed vegetable-meat and vegetable-fish canned food for children. This will become possible thanks to the technical re-equipment of the reconstructed children's food workshop.

– The plant produces over 100 types of canned goods, including baby food. We focus on producing purees and juices for babies with reduced sugar content or without added sugar at all. This year's new products included such types of preventive canned goods as carrot and cauliflower puree with buckwheat flour, cream, enriched with magnesium, as well as carrot and cauliflower puree with oatmeal, cream, and sugar. Black currant and apple puree with buckwheat flour, cream, and sugar, enriched with magnesium. For 10 months, 17 tubes of such products were produced, – says the enterprise director Rostislav Goshko. – Baby food, which we are currently preparing to produce on a new line, is an innovative product with an export-oriented and import-substituting character. Five trial batches of pureed vegetable-meat and vegetable-fish preserves for children have already been produced. Tests have been conducted. The product has been approved by the Central Tasting Commission for the evaluation of canned product quality. Gradually, over three years, we will increase production volumes from 150 tons in 2013 and more. In total, by the end of the five-year plan, we plan to produce 1700 tons of such baby food preserves.

Juices, vegetable and fruit purees under the trademarks "Novka" and "Dettka" are loved by babies in Belarus. Next year, these recognizable logos of the Vitebsk Fruit and Vegetable Plant will also appear on jars with meat and fish preserves.

Ekaterina ANECHKINA.
"VR"