MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) – Belarus and China have signed a cooperation agreement in the agricultural sector as part of a project of the Caofeidian collaborative development demonstration area (Caofeidian District) within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative, BelTA learned from the press service of the Agriculture and Food Ministry.
The agreement was signed via a video conference. Among the signatories are the Agriculture and Food Ministry of Belarus, the comprehensive bonded zone of Caofeidian District and the Belt and Road Working Committee of the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises. “I am sure that the agreement will allow us to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries, which is expected to boost mutual supply of products, intensify cooperation in investment and facilitate our participation in joint projects in the territory of both China and Belarus. This might pave the way for joint ventures to process milk and produce dairy products from Belarusian raw materials, and joint ventures to cultivate cattle and make meat products,” Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister of Belarus Igor Brylo said.
He stressed that cooperation between Belarus and China is strategic and comprehensive. Trade and economic relations between the two countries reached a new height in 2019 in terms of trade in goods and services. Cooperation in the agricultural industry is also on the rise. In H1 2020, the export of Belarusian foodstuffs to China amounted to $110.9 million, up 2.7 times over the same period last year. Meat products account for more than half of the export (52.5%). In January-June more than 18,000 tonnes of meat products worth $58 million were shipped to China. "The export of Belarusian dairy products to China keeps demonstrating an upward trend. Belarusian dairy products turned out to be popular among Chinese consumers. This year more than 85,000 tonnes of dairy products worth $32.5 million were shipped to China,” the deputy minister said.
A total of 56 dairy processing plants, 17 meat-processing plants, 9 poultry farms, 7 fish processing enterprises and 4 beetroot pulp producers have been granted access to the Chinese market. “We are ready to offer Chinese customers high-quality cheeses, butter, yogurts, whole milk, meat and other products. Today, Belarus produces more than 500 types of meat products and more than 1,500 names of dairy products,” Igor Brylo said.
The Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry and the Belt and Road Working Committee of the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises have signed a memorandum of intent on strategic cooperation for the period of five years. In accordance with the memorandum, the parties are actively working to arrange the supply of Belarusian agricultural products to the free trade zones of certain provinces of China on preferential e-commerce terms.
