ST PETERSBURG, 29 March (BelTA) – Belarus and St Petersburg will use new opportunities to advance cooperation, BelTA learned from Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko.
Roman Golovchenko said: “The session of the Belarus-St Petersburg Business Cooperation Council was constructive. Now we have to not only overcome challenges and difficulties but exploit the available opportunities. We've talked a great deal about import substitution and an increase in shipments. St Petersburg is interested in Belarusian mechanical engineering products and food while Belarus is interested in products of St Petersburg-based enterprises. We are working on shipping Belarusian goods via Port Bronka.”
He also sketched out plans to increase trade turnover. A roadmap was signed to guide trade, economic, scientific, technical, and humanitarian cooperation between the Belarus government and the St Petersburg leadership in 2022-2026.
In 2021 Belarus' trade with St Petersburg totaled $1.743 billion, 14.5% up from 2020, with Belarus' export up by 13.6% to $982.1 million. Belarus secured a foreign trade surplus of $220.5 million. 2021 saw an increase in shipments of hot-rolled non-alloyed steel bars, butter, frozen beef, plastic containers, condensed and powdered milk and cream, potatoes, chipboards and fiberboards, parts and accessories for automobiles and tractors.
In January 2022 Belarus' trade with St Petersburg amounted to $122.5 million, 15.9% up from January 2021. Belarus' export to St Petersburg went up by 1.2% to $68.8 million. Belarus sold more cheese and cottage cheese, butter, frozen fish, complex synthetic threads, potatoes, packaging materials, poultry meat, and whole milk to St Petersburg in the period.
