MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) – In 2018 Belarus' food export to China skyrocketed by 340% in comparison with 2017, BelTA learned from Aleksei Bogdanov, Head of the Central Office for Foreign Economic Activities of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry, on 7 February.
In 2018 the export of Belarusian agricultural products and food to the People's Republic of China reached $82.4 million, 340% up from 2017. Dairy products were the main driver – 186,500 tonnes worth $60.5 million. The export of Belarus' dairy products to China rose by nine times in monetary terms and by 13 times in physical terms. “We sent the first four container trains full of dairy products to China in 2018. The shipments came from Minsk Oblast and Mogilev Oblast,” Aleksei Bogdanov said.
China plays the main role in the development of Belarus' food export to Asia. A colossal amount of work was done in 2016-2018. “We've managed to get our companies certified within the shortest possible period of time. Belarus is one of the top ten countries, which can sell meat to China. China is busy diversifying its import in order to ensure the country's food security,” the official noted.
Two Belarusian meat producers – OOO Veles-Meat and OAO Mogilev Meat Processing Plant – are now authorized to export beef to China. As many as 51 dairy companies (virtually the entire dairy market of Belarus) and five poultry farms – Agrokombinat Dzerzhinskiy, Vitebsk Broiler Poultry Factory, Poultry Plant Druzhba, SZAO Servolux, and OAO Smolevichi Broiler – are certified for export to China.
