MINSK, 1 March (BelTA) – In 2017 Belarus exported $431 million worth of crop products, BelTA learned from Aleksei Bogdanov, Head of the Central Office for Foreign Economic Activities of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry, during the international forum Belarusian Agriculture on 1 March.
According to the source, Belarus' export of staple products — potatoes and vegetables — increased by 17-30% in physical terms. “We exported slightly less flax fiber because we keep more raw materials for our processing enterprises now in order to export more ready-made products with a high added value,” said Aleksei Bogdanov. The share of crop products in Belarus' total export of agricultural products stands at 8.8%.
In 2017 Belarus exported $65.5 million worth of potatoes. “We exported 388,000 tonnes of potatoes in physical terms, 30% up from 2016. The shipments were delivered to ten countries. We should seek new target markets and diversify export,” noted the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry representative.
The second international forum Belarusian Agriculture began in Minsk on 1 March. The forum gathered about 200 participants from Belarus, Russia, and Poland. The number includes representatives of central government agencies, top executives and leading specialists of state-run and private agricultural companies, academic institutions and research centers, managers, marketing specialists. A ceremony to present Agrarian of the Year awards will be held during the forum for the first time ever upon the initiative of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry.
