ZHLOBIN, 18 March (BelTA) – It is important to work out an optimal plan for providing metallurgical enterprises of the Eurasian Economic Union member states with raw materials. Member of the Board (Minister) for Industry and Agribusiness Complex of the Eurasian Economic Commission Artak Kamalyan made the statement as he visited the Belarusian steel mill BMZ, BelTA has learned.
The Eurasian Economic Commission representative was made familiar with the operation of the steel mill. He also discussed prospects of the metallurgical industry with the management of the company. Problems were also mentioned.
Artak Kamalyan stressed that the key purpose of the visit was to understand the current state of affairs with regard to the availability of scrap metal in Belarus and in the country's primary metallurgical enterprise BMZ in particular. The official said: “For the last half a year our commission has been rather actively discussing the provision of Eurasian metallurgical enterprises with scrap metal. It was one of the key topics during the latest session of the intergovernmental council in Almaty. Among other things the conversation touched upon the development and adoption of an action plan on raising the effectiveness of provision of Eurasian Economic Union metallurgical enterprises with primary raw materials. Today we've discussed the main aspects of raw materials availability with the BMZ management. BMZ gets roughly 50% of its scrap metal from Belarus and imports 50% from the Russian Federation.”
Artak Kamalyan remarked that additional consultations will be held, including consultations with the BMZ management, in the course of development of the action plan. “It is important to work out an implementable action plan so that its realization could provide metallurgical enterprises with raw materials, in particular, scrap metal at an optimal level.”
The Eurasian Economic Union is the key market for BMZ. The company's First Deputy Director General Anatoly Volkov noted that Russia plays the main role on it. In January-February 2021 Russia bought over 20% of BMZ'S export. Respectively import also plays a strategic role. BMZ imports about 80% of its raw materials from countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. “This is why it is very important that an additional opportunity and a platform are available for discussing existing problems and for sketching out ways to resolve them,” he said.
Artak Kamalyan is convinced that BMZ's performance will continue rising in the Eurasian Economic Union.
The Eurasian Economic Commission representative also intends to visit the Minsk-based tractor factory MTZ, the car manufacturer BelGee, and the heavy truck manufacturer BelAZ.
The public joint-stock company (OAO) BMZ, the Management Company of the holding company Belarusian Metallurgical Company (BMC), is a high-tech Belarusian metallurgical enterprise. It comprises infrastructure shops and four manufacturing divisions connected by one technological chain. The divisions focus on steel smelting, mill products, pipe products, hardware items. BMZ exports more than 80% of its output every year.
