BREST, 13 November (BelTA) - Brest's export went up by 7.5% in January-September this year as against the same period of 2018, Brest First Vice Mayor Vadim Kravchuk told BelTA.
“We feel good in terms of export. It has been growing over last year. In January-September, local enterprises sold $782.8 million worth of goods abroad. The city's enterprises shipped products to 85 countries, branched out into 13 new markets. Compared to 2018, the export to Poland rose by 65%, China by 33%, Germany by 29%, Kazakhstan by 20%, Ukraine by 16%,” Vadim Kravchuk said.
For example, Savushkin Product dairy company made first shipments to Egypt and Indonesia. Brest Meat-Processing Plant tapped into the market of Ivory Coast, Santa Bremor fish processing company advanced to Montenegro. Brest producers are taking the first steps to gain a foothold in the markets of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guinea, the Dominican Republic, Cape Verde, Malta, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Iraq and Panama.
In January-September the export of services amounted to $141.2 million. The export of computer services holds almost a tenth share of this amount, rose by 20%. Positive dynamics are also observed in the export of tourist services (up by 25%). “These are the two major sectors. Brest is a popular travel destination among foreign tourists, and travel agencies are trying to meet the demand. The IT sector has been growing rapidly. The city is creating the conditions to encourage IT companies to deploy their headquarters here,” he said.
Vadim Kravchuk noted that Brest IT companies not only increase exports but also attract foreign direct investment to the region. In particular, an IT-cluster is being built in the regional center. About $2.7 million has been invested in its development this year. In January-September alone, Brest raised $11 million in FDI.
