A seminar-meeting on the development of small and medium-sized businesses was held in the Orsha district
A seminar-meeting on the development of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship was held in the Orsha district. In the town of Baran, the Deputy Prime Minister visited a number of economic entities that were created on the basis of unused state property. Among them is a company for the production of LED lamps "GViA Lighting", opened in 1997, initially produced only five models of lighting devices. Today, more than 1.5 thousand items are produced here. Every year, 3 billion rubles are spent on the purchase of new equipment. "Belama Plus" - an innovative and export-oriented enterprise - produces components and agricultural machinery for plant protection products.
Pyotr Prokopovich also familiarized himself with the activities of LLC "Orbis", where flexible ventilation mine pipes are produced. Permanent partners of "Orbis" are large enterprises in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
The seminar participants were given the opportunity to see how the enterprises of the agro-industrial complex of the Orsha district operate. The director of SPC "Larinovka" Alexander Kukhtenkov spoke about the situation in this industry.
The director of the new shopping and entertainment center “Grand” Vyacheslav Klimenko spoke about the aspects of roadside service development and the existing problems in this area.
The guests from the capital and representatives of other regions became convinced that agroecotourism can and should be profitable, using the example of the estate “Syabry i K”.
Another facility visited by Petr Prokopovich was the Ice Arena. Here, the seminar participants familiarized themselves with an exhibition of products manufactured by small and medium-sized businesses in the Vitebsk region. The Deputy Prime Minister paid attention to each entrepreneur, inquiring about their problems and prospects.
In a conversation with journalists, Petr Petrovich emphasized:
– Today, small business accounts for 24% of the country's GDP. It is the most dynamically developing part of our economy, and special attention to it is fully justified. First of all, it is necessary to ensure the implementation of the regulatory documents that have already been adopted, so that local authorities help the development of business in all directions. The most important among the problems of business is access to finance, expensive credit resources, and we very much hope that in the near future the board of the National Bank will make a special decision specifically on the issue of promoting the development of small and medium-sized businesses. It is too early to talk about details, but these decisions can fundamentally change the opportunities for entrepreneurs. We are talking about allowing foreign currency lending without any restrictions for small and medium-sized businesses, and, of course, about reducing interest rates for loans in Belarusian rubles. Already this year, small and medium-sized businesses should reach 27% of GDP, and next year – 30%.
Answering a question from a correspondent
"Regarding the main directions of innovative activity development for small and medium-sized businesses in the Vitebsk region, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed confidence that the focus should be on the use of local raw materials. "For example, the production and processing of medicinal herbs and berries, – said Petr Prokopovich. – This is virgin territory for the Vitebsk region and an unlimited market not only for domestic needs but also beyond the country. Billions of dollars can be earned here. The same applies to vegetables, fish – products that nature provides. The Vitebsk region is rich in forests. The development of the furniture industry is a direction that can yield more products than even the machine-building industry. We need to focus on what we have. Considering that the region itself is a picturesque corner, it is necessary to actively develop agro-ecotourism, health improvement, and treatment. All this is in demand. Therefore, the most important thing is that we effectively use the opportunities of our raw material base and the intellectual potential of enterprising people".In the Vitebsk region, last year, revenues to the consolidated budget from small and medium-sized enterprises amounted to about 3 trillion rubles and increased sevenfold compared to 2009.
"We strive to orient businesses towards the production sector, taking into account the raw material base available in the region", – emphasized the Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Oleg Matskevich, at the final plenary session.The effectiveness of entrepreneurs' work in the Vitebsk region is also evidenced by the following figure: in 2012, the net profit per person employed in small and medium-sized businesses averaged 27 million rubles, which is significantly higher than the regional average of 17 million.
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Today, there are 37.3 thousand small and medium-sized enterprises in the Vitebsk region, – Oleg Sergeevich drew the attention of those present. – Approximately 9% of private businesses are concentrated in the region. In 2012, 154 thousand people, or 28% of the total number of employed in the economy, were employed in the entrepreneurial sector».Oleg Matskevich emphasized that any economic activity of business entities is aimed at achieving maximum financial results, which in recent years have been characterized by an improvement in qualitative indicators.
«Revenue from the sale of products, goods, works, and services, including individual entrepreneurs, has increased 4 times compared to the 2010 level, and at the same time, its share in the total regional revenue has increased from 25.5% in 2010 to 31% in 2012, – the Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee cited the facts. – The result of the work of commercial organizations is net profit, which in 2012 exceeded the 2009 figure by 10 times. The profitability of realized products, goods, works, and services in micro and small organizations has increased 1.5 times since 2009. In order to attract investments for the creation of export-oriented and import-substituting industries, the free economic zone «Vitebsk» operates, the area of which is currently 2180 hectares. At present, 51 investment projects with the participation of capital from Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, the USA, Great Britain, Israel, Cyprus, and other countries are being implemented in the FEZ. In the Orsha district, 9 FEZ residents are operating».Oleg Matskevich noted that state support for entrepreneurship is constantly provided in the region.
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An important factor for economic growth is the creation of new small businesses, Oleg Sergeevich expressed his confidence. – Taking this into account, in 2014, the list of types of state support was expanded, and its modernization aspects were strengthened. The center of gravity has shifted towards the manufacturing sector, with priority given to locating production facilities in small towns and rural settlements».Another area of support for entrepreneurship, which allows for the creation of new jobs, was also highlighted – these are interest-free budget loans and subsidies from the funds of the Social Protection Population Fund. Over the past 4 years, interest-free loans have been issued to 118 entrepreneurs.
The dialogue on improving the business climate will continue within the framework of the assembly of business circles of Belarus, which will be held on March 5.
Olga Lebedeva, "Vitebskiye Vesti"