Agro-industrial complex integration structures will be presented at the international economic forum in Vitebsk

At the international economic forum "Innovations. Investments. Prospects" in Vitebsk, integration structures of the region's agro-industrial complex will be presented as a separate block. This was announced by the Chairperson of the Economics Committee of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Anzhelika Nikitina, at a press conference dedicated to the upcoming forum.

"At this year's exhibition area of the forum, we have allocated a unique feature, a specialization for each district – a promising project for this particular territory aimed at developing the production sector. For the first time, integration structures established in the region in August 2016 will be presented centrally. They will showcase the complete production cycle of products, from field to shelf, as well as investment projects that these structures and their individual entities would like to implement," noted Anzhelika Nikitina.

Thus, integration structures will increase their attractiveness to investors, as similar projects also require external sources for implementation. Potential partners will see that the full-cycle production of goods by a single legal entity reduces its cost and makes it more competitive and in demand.

"Representatives of Russian regions are coming to us, and we see that our meat and dairy products are in high demand in their markets. A reduction in product costs within integration structures may also open up the Chinese market. Currently, price is the main obstacle. Investments are needed to develop the raw material zone, as our processing enterprises have significantly modernized and no longer have enough raw materials to utilize their full capacity," she explained. Five integration structures are operating based on the Vitebsk Meat Processing Plant, Vitebsk Broiler Poultry Farm, Glubokoye Feed Mill, Polotsk Grain Processing Plant, and Orsha Grain Processing Plant. These include pig farms, poultry farms, cattle fattening enterprises, large dairy farms, and agricultural holdings. In total, they manage 300 thousand hectares of agricultural land and about 200 thousand hectares of arable land – 24% of the total land area in the region. The region

interested in attracting foreign direct investment for the development of these structures - the creation of joint ventures, the entry of foreign capital into the development of existing ones, as well as the introduction of innovative technologies in agriculture, which foreign partners can share.

"It may also involve the separation of a joint venture from an integration structure, for example, for raising young cattle. An additional attractive factor will be that such a JV will not be burdened with debt obligations, but on the contrary, will enjoy benefits," emphasized Anzhelika Nikitina.

The VI International Economic Forum "Innovations. Investments. Prospects" will be held in Vitebsk on May 11-12. Its main venue will be the territory of the regional Palace of Sports, which will host expositions of cities and district centers of the region, international specialized exhibitions: "Innovative Developments and Innovative Products", "Energy Saving and Ecology", "Construction Industry. Innovations in Construction", "Integrated Agro-industrial Structures", "Light Industry-2017". A fair of goods and services of regional enterprises will be organized to promote sales. The forum program includes a section presenting the investment potential of the region, the international scientific and practical conference "Energy Saving-2017", and a major environmental event - the XIV Republican Environmental Forum with specialized exhibitions, thematic sections and seminars.

The participation of official delegations from cities and regions, the diplomatic corps, representatives of business associations, and companies from 14 countries is expected. The forum is organized by the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and City Executive Committee, the Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, the Regional Department for Supervision of the Rational Use of Fuel and Energy Resources, the Regional Marketing Center, and the administration of the FEZ "Vitebsk".

Ekaterina Knyazeva - BELTA.