Every fifth ruble of export revenue in the Vitebsk region is generated by agricultural organizations
Every fifth ruble of export revenue of the Vitebsk region is generated by agricultural enterprises, amounting to about $400 million annually. This was announced by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, yesterday at a seminar-meeting on topical issues of the region's agricultural development.
Nikolai Sherstnev specified that agricultural products account for a third of the gross regional product, excluding oil and energy. Over the past five years, this share has increased 1.6 times (ranking second after industry). "48,000 people employed in agriculture (10% of all employed in the economy) ensure not only the food security of the region and the country but also shape foreign policy. Products are exported to 33 countries worldwide and 80 regions of Russia," stated the head of the region. Focusing on the state of agricultural production in the region, the governor noted that about $2 million in investments have been made in the modernization of processing enterprises in recent years. The production volumes of marketable products of the enterprises of the "Myasomolprom" concern have increased more than 3.5 times over the past five years. Currently, the agro-industrial complex of the Vitebsk region comprises 255 agricultural organizations, 386 farms, 45 processing enterprises, 9 service enterprises, and 22 land reclamation organizations. The agro-industrial complex has its own retail network: 256 branded stores of the "Myaso-molochnye produkty" concern are in operation (including the large "Vitebskiye produkty" chain).