GOMEL, 20 December (BelTA) – Gomel Oblast could help retool farmers in Kirov Oblast. Prospects of cooperation were sketched out by Gomel Oblast Governor Gennady Solovei during the session of the working group on advancing cooperation between Belarus and Russia's Kirov Oblast in the Russian region on 20 December, BelTA has learned.
Gennady Solovei noted that the Belarusian agricultural machines manufacturer Gomselmash started exporting its products to Kirov Oblast in 2015. “At present your farmers use 31 Gomselmash harvesters. According to our data, the share of Gomel-made agricultural machines in your agricultural machinery fleet is only 7.5%,” the governor noted. Among promising avenues for advancing the bilateral cooperation Gennady Solovei mentioned efforts to sell more heavy vehicles and machines. “At present Gomselmash is ready to consider supplies of forage harvesters and grain harvesters at agreed prices to Kirov Oblast,” he mentioned. He also drew attention to an innovative product developed by Gomselmash – a gas engine grain harvester that can reduce fuel costs by more than three times.
Gennady Solovei went on saying: “Since dairy animal husbandry is the leading branch of agriculture in Kirov Oblast and the region is ranked fifth in terms of milk production in Russia, we would like you to pay attention to Gomelagrokomplekt products for milking cows and cooling milk in closed containers.” He stressed that Gomelagrokomplekt products are already well-known in many Russian regions, including Oryol Oblast, Belgorod Oblast, Omsk Oblast, and Sakhalin Island.
The session of the working group on advancing cooperation between Belarus and Russia's Kirov Oblast is scheduled to take place in the Russian region on 19-20 December. The Gomel Oblast administration has been entrusted with the responsibility of advancing Belarus' cooperation with Kirov Oblast. Participants of the session are discussing prospects of advancing trade, economic, and humanitarian relations, problems in mutual trade in mechanical engineering and agricultural products and ways to resolve them. Meetings are held in two chambers of commerce and industry (the Vyatka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Gomel branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry). B2B negotiations have been arranged, during which representatives of Belarusian and Russian companies talk about their interests. Roundtable sessions have been arranged to discuss cooperation between universities. Contact points in tourism industry are being determined. Apart from that, the Belarusian delegation is expected to get familiar with the cutting-edge practices of industrial and agricultural enterprises in Kirov Oblast.
During the meeting the heads of the regions signed a protocol that will guide the development of relations in the future.
