Kazakhstan is interested in direct supplies of finished products from Vitebsk

Belarusian goods are in demand in Kazakhstan, and local trading enterprises are interested in direct supplies of finished products from the Vitebsk region to the territory of the Customs Union member state. These are the brief results of a recent visit of the region's delegation to Karaganda, organized by the Vitebsk branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in conjunction with similar structures of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the city of Karaganda.

According to Yuri Pchelko, Deputy General Director for Foreign Economic Activity of the Vitebsk branch of the CCI, Kazakhstan is currently one of the strategic directions of cooperation for Belarus in terms of exports, foreign trade, and the implementation of joint innovative projects. The delegation included representatives of OJSC “Vitebsk Meat Packing Plant”, KUPP “Vitebchanka”, KUP “Vitebskmeliorvodkhoz”, Miory PMS, the administration of the free economic zone “Vitebsk”, as well as representatives of other regions of the country – CJSC “Belarusian Oil Company” and UPK “Niva” (Soligorsk).

– Certain agreements were reached at this stage of the dialogue between the enterprises of the two countries, – added Yuri Pchelko. – One Kazakh company is interested in supplying products from the meat processing plant; these supplies will be established immediately after the veterinary ban on the export of our pork is lifted. The products of “Vitebchanka” are well known there, their quality suits buyers, but the price is high due to the fact that the goods are supplied through Moscow wholesalers. Direct supplies will make it more acceptable. “Vitebskmeliorvodkhoz” presented two of its proposals to potential partners: the development of tourism based on the lakes managed by the enterprise, as well as fish farming. It was the latter direction that interested the Kazakh company. Details of possible cooperation will be discussed in May, when the Belarusian-Kazakh forum will take place.

Representatives of the free economic zone “Vitebsk” visited Kazakhstan for the first time. Therefore, the visit program was introductory, said Sergey Kalinovsky, Deputy Head of the FEZ Administration. However, the benefits and preferences offered by the Vitebsk side, and the absence of restrictions on types of activities, aroused interest among potential partners from the Customs Union.

Also, FEZ representatives visited the Karaganda special economic zone “Sary-Arka” for the purpose of exchanging experience, identifying points of contact, and further interaction within the CU.

– The format of operation, tax incentives are practically the same as ours, – commented Sergey Kalinovsky. – But our approach to residents is a bit stricter: for example, a mandatory condition is the supply of 70% of products for export, which the Kazakhs do not require. Also, most of their enterprises specialize in metalworking.

This year, the FEZ “Vitebsk” celebrates its 15th anniversary, 30 investment projects with the participation of capital from Germany, Poland, the USA, Russia, Lithuania, Canada and other countries are being implemented on its territory. But Kazakhstan has not been among them yet.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, "Vitebskiye Vesti"