Communal and private enterprises of the Vitebsk region attracted more than $80 million to the economy in 2009.

January 15, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Communal and private enterprises of the Vitebsk region attracted over $80 million to the region's economy last year, Deputy Chairman of the Economics Committee of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Konstantin Cherny told a BELTA correspondent. The volume of direct foreign investment exceeded $20 million by the end of 2009. Large investment projects were implemented with foreign capital participation, such as the creation of fuel chip production by the joint venture "I-CL-Bel", the construction of the Metropark entertainment center by the company "Vitebsky Dvor", and the technical re-equipment of the enterprises "Bel-Vit", "Bel-Bimbo", "Vitebskaya Lesopilka". With the use of loans from a foreign partner, the Belarusian-Russian agricultural enterprise "Detskoselsky-Gorodok" is creating a logistics center for receiving, sorting, packaging, and temporarily storing agricultural products. Foreign banks continue to finance production reconstruction and technical re-equipment projects of processing enterprises of the Vitebsk concern "Meat and Dairy Products", and agricultural machinery is being purchased for agricultural organizations. At three investment forums held in the region in 2009, 60 agreements and contracts on bilateral cooperation worth over $350 million were signed. As Konstantin Cherny noted, based on the results of work with foreign investors last year, more than 30 commercial organizations with foreign investments were created. The program for the socio-economic development of the region for 2010 provides for attracting over $300 million in foreign investment to the region's economy. Using external sources, it is planned to implement projects for the creation of porous wall material production at the Obolsky Ceramic Plant, the development of tourist and sports infrastructure, and the creation of a logistics center by the company "Tabakinvest". -0-