Vitebsk fruit and vegetable processing plant plans to procure more than 100 tons of fruits and berries this year

July 20, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. Vitebsk Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plant OJSC plans to procure more than 100 tons of fruits and berries in 2009. This will allow expanding the range of canned baby food produced to over 40 items, as well as significantly increasing the production of frozen products, the enterprise informed a BELTA correspondent. In the current season, the enterprise has already completed strawberry procurement - 16 tons have been procured, and raspberry (2.3 tons procured) and blueberry (5 tons procured) procurement is actively underway. In total, the plant plans to procure 26 tons of blueberries, as well as red and black currants (38.5 tons), bilberries and lingonberries (28.5 tons), and other types of raw materials. In accordance with the business plan, the plant intends to produce about 4.3 million conventional cans (mub) in 2009, including 3 mub of baby food. The growth in production volumes will be ensured mainly by increasing the output of baby food, the share of which in the total volume is about 70% and is expected to grow. The enterprise focuses on the production of baby food based on apples with the addition of natural ingredients grown in Belarus (cherries, plums, carrots, cranberries, chokeberries, lingonberries, etc.). In 2009, the plant will expand the range of baby food based on berry, fruit, and vegetable purees from 16 to over 40 items. For example, the enterprise has already begun supplying 15 new types of baby food to the retail network, and another 6 new products are planned to be launched into production in the third quarter of 2009. In addition, the enterprise plans to triple the production of frozen berries compared to last year. In January-June 2009, the plant produced 1.65 mub of canned goods and 1.2 of baby food worth Br3.7 billion at comparable prices, with a production volume growth rate of 190% compared to the same period in 2008. Vitebsk Fruit and Vegetable Processing Plant was founded in 1993, and the enterprise was corporatized in 2008. The plant specializes in the production of a wide range of fruit and berry and vegetable preserves, including baby food, semi-finished purees, and aseptically preserved products.