MOSCOW, 4 February (BelTA) – In 2019 Belarus-Russia trade totaled $35.55 billion, 0.5% down from 2018, BelTA learned from the website of the Belarusian embassy in the Russian Federation.
According to the source, Russia accounted for 49.2% of Belarus' total trade (just as much as in 2018), including 41.2% of Belarus' total export (38.3% in 2018) and 55.9% of Belarus' total import (58.8% in 2018).
In 2019 Belarus' merchandise export to the Russian market amounted to $13.569 billion (104.5% as against 2018). The main exports were cheese and farmer cheese (6.9% of the total export to Russia), trucks (5.5%), butter (2.7%), tractors and truck tractors (2.4%), parts and accessories for automobiles and tractors (2.2%), furniture (2.1%), concentrated milk and cream, milk powder and cream powder (1.9%), fresh and cooled beef (1.6%), poultry meat and giblets (1.6%). In 2019 as many as 28 new items worth about $290,000 were added to the structure of export. These items were not exported to Russia in 2018.
In 2019 merchandise import from Russia totaled $21.983 billion (97.2% as against 2018). The main imports were crude oil, including gas condensate (29.9% of the total merchandise import from Russia), petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons (12%), cars (4.3%), ferrous metal waste and scrap (1.5%).
In 2019 Belarus had a merchandise trade deficit of $8.414 billion, $1.219 billion down from 2018.
In January-November 2019 Belarus' export of services to Russia amounted to $2.65 billion, 6.4% down from January-November 2018. Import of services from Russia totaled $1.49 billion, 0.8% down. The surplus of Belarus-Russia trade in services amounted to $1.16 billion.
According to the embassy, Belarus-Russia trade hit a record high of $43.86 billion in 2012. The trade volume was falling till 2016 when the figure dropped to $26.25 billion. In 2017 and 2018 Belarus-Russia trade picked up and reached $32.42 billion and $35.61 billion respectively.
