MINSK, 26 April (BelTA) – Belarus intends to increase output of milk and meat in 2021, Belarus' Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Aleksei Bogdanov told the ONT TV channel on 25 April, BelTA has learned.
In 2021, Belarus plans to export $6 billion worth of agricultural products and $7 billion in 2025. “Output and market trends determine prices. We can control the first aspect because we make plans for the year, devise strategies and concepts of development of a certain sector. For example, this year, we aim to increase milk output by 3.6% (to over 8 million tonnes). Meat output is expected to go up by 1.8%. Taking into account that Belarus ensured its food security long ago, all additional output will be bound for export,” Aleksei Bogdanov said.
Russia remains Belarus' main export market for these products, but work is underway to diversify exports. “The importance of the Chinese market for Belarusian exporters has grown rapidly. In 2020, it placed third, ahead of Ukraine, among the major buyers of Belarusian food products In January-February 2021, Belarus' export of food products to China surged 2.2 times year-on-year and is expected to continue growing. We have also set sights on the markets of countries of the Persian Gulf, Asia, and Africa,” Aleksei Bogdanov stressed.
A Belarusian delegation has recently been to Tajikistan. “The program of the visit included several large-scale events: a session of the intergovernmental commission, the Made in Belarus exhibition, the trilateral business forum Tajikistan-Belarus-Afghanistan, and the agricultural forum TajBelAgro. We signed several agreements and contracts worth over $13.3 million,” Aleksei Bogdanov added.
