MINSK, 28 October (BelTA) – Belarus' industrial output is projected to increase by 5.3% in 2021, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Nazarov said during a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic in Minsk on 28 October, BelTA has learned.
"This year, Belarus' industrial complex has been posting steady growth and has been the main driver of economic growth. In January-September the industrial production expanded by almost 8% over year-on-year. This is the highest rate in the last decade. If we compare Belarus with our strategic partners in the EAEU, in January-August we outpaced the industrial complex of Russia by 4.1%, that of Kazakhstan by 6.2% and Armenia by 7.6%,” Yuri Nazarov noted.
As of 1 October 1, the warehouse stocks were 51.9% of the average monthly output, the minimum since 2009. "In January-August, Belarus posted the return on sales at 9.6%, the maximum over the past four years. The merchandise export to Central Africa rose by almost 4 times, to Western Europe by almost 3 times, to North America by 2.5 times. Real wages went up by 7.2% over January-August 2020. The number of forced part-time employees totaled 24,500 people in January-July, the minimum since 2014,” the vice premier said. “According to our estimates, Belarus' industrial output will rise by 5.3% in 2021 as against 2020. The forecast for 2022 is more than 3%."
