GOMEL, 26 June (BelTA) – The Belarusian confectionery factory SP OAO Spartak penetrated the markets of five new countries in 2020. The company's Director General Oleg Zhidkov made the statement as Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Subbotin visited the enterprise on 26 June, BelTA has learned.
The executive said: “This year we've added five new countries we didn't work with in 2019. Yemen is among them. The first batch of merchandise has already been shipped there.”
Aleksandr Subbotin wondered about prospects of export to the Chinese market. Oleg Zhidkov responded by saying: “A promising direction. But we are talking mainly about Northern China where local tastes are accustomed to our product choice. Besides, the temperature and humidity conditions in southern parts of China are rather difficult for our products.”
On the whole, in January-May 2020 Spartak exported 1,370 tonnes of confectionery products, nearly 113% as against January-May 2019. Large batches were shipped to Russia, Ukraine, and Mongolia. Larger sales on the home market will depend on the expansion of the proprietary retail chain, Spartak's management believes.
The deputy prime minister was also informed about the large-scale modernization of Spartak's manufacturing facilities. Since 2012 the company has invested over €25.5 million in proprietary resources in various projects. Some of them have already recouped the investment, Oleg Zhidkov noted. The company intends to implement two projects this year to optimize costs, increase output, and minimize manual labor. Prospects of modernization have been sketched out for the next few years.
On the whole, in January-May 2020 the company made 8,465 tonnes of confectionery products, which is on par with the volume registered in January-May 2019. Spartak constantly works to optimize manufacturing costs.
Aleksandr Subbotin was made familiar with the structure of the production shop and the main product lineup.
While in Gomel Oblast the deputy prime minister also visited OAO Gomel Meat Processing Plant and a number of agribusiness enterprises.
