The Belarusian-Israeli agro-industrial park may attract about $2.5 billion in investments in the near future.
The Belarusian-Israeli agro-industrial park may attract about $2.5 billion in investments in the near future, Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology Igor Voitov told reporters, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
The project for the creation of the Belarusian-Israeli agro-industrial park is being developed by the SCST by order of the government as one of the directions for intensifying cooperation with Israel.
"We are already receiving proposals from foreign countries to create innovative production facilities on the territory of the park. Germany has come up with an initiative to create low-cost agricultural housing production. Americans are offering technology for local energy supply to agricultural facilities. Russian companies are also interested in entering this technology zone," said Igor Voitov. "We already have a good foundation for its creation. Israeli companies are successfully operating in Belarus. One example of effective cooperation is the poultry complex in Dzerzhinsk."
The Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology emphasized that Belarus needs to actively enter the global market with its agricultural products. This is only possible with appropriate certification. "One of the first projects we plan to implement in the Belarusian-Israeli park is the creation of an international independent certification center for agricultural products, the volume of which is growing year by year, to enable us to supply it to the EU and other countries' markets. The second area we will develop is the compound feed industry. There is already a proposal from the Israeli side to produce new types of feed using steam treatment technology. In the future, these innovations can be implemented not only in the park being created but also throughout the country," Igor Voitov is convinced.
Among the promising areas of cooperation, he also mentioned biotechnologies for animal husbandry and milk processing, and vegetable production. "Israel has achieved a lot in fish farming. A large program for the development of the fishing industry has also been adopted in the Vitebsk region. And this area needs to be actively developed, as we currently import up to 75% of fish products from abroad," the Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology noted.
He also stressed that partners in the agro-industrial park are interested not only in implementing new technologies but also in consuming products that will be produced in Belarus. "In the territory we have designated for the park, it is possible to produce environmentally safe products, which are currently in high demand on the global market. The Israeli side also proposes to work on issues related to the creation of beekeeping farms to supply biologically active honey to Israel. They have a huge bio-industry, and Belarus can become a supplier of plant raw materials, including medicinal herbs and forest products," said Igor Voitov.
The project for the creation of the park was presented today to the Israeli delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, headed by Minister Yair Shamir. The Israeli guests met with the leadership of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and visited the territories of the Orsha and Tolochin districts, where the Belarusian-Israeli agro-industrial park is planned to be created.
The trade turnover of the Vitebsk region with Israel for January-July of the current year amounted to $650 thousand, including exports - $24 thousand. In general, the annual turnover is about $1.5 million. The main export goods are optical instruments (supplies are gradually increasing), occasionally fiberglass and optical cable are supplied. Pharmaceutical preparations (50% of all purchases), fruits, tools, and cranes are imported from Israel (purchased by ChUP "Polymerkonstruktsiya" for the production of water treatment facilities).
Alena Tikhonova