BREST, 2 August (BelTA) – Brest Oblast enterprises have penetrated three new target markets, BelTA learned from the Foreign Economic Ties and Investment Activities Office of the Economy Committee of the Brest Oblast Executive Committee.
The new markets were found in South America, North and East Africa. The first batch of glazing putty was shipped to Bolivia, Libya bought milk powder, and Uganda imported electric transformers. In January-May 2021 Brest Oblast goods were exported to 94 countries. Export rose by nearly 23% to $1.2 billion, with foreign trade surplus at $495.2 million. The Eurasian Economic Union accounted for 67.7% of the export, with Russia's share at 62.9%, the European Union – 18.1%, and other countries – 14.2%.
Brest Oblast enterprises are busy exploring the European market. In January-May 2021 merchandise export to the European Union rose by 47.3% to $174.5 million. Export to Germany rose by 1.5 times. Export to France, Spain, and Romania more than doubled. Export to Bulgaria and Slovakia rose by nearly 100%, with export to Lithuania and Latvia up by over 40%. The main exports to the European Union were coal, furniture, tires, plastic parts, PVC products, soya and rapeseed oils, clothes, toys, wood chips and wood pellets, sawn timber.
Export to remote countries rose by 20% to $52.4 million. In January-May 2021 merchandise export to African countries increased by 3.3 times to $447,300, to North and South Americas by 46.1% to $4 million, to Australia and Oceania by 48.7% to $471,000. Export to China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, rose by 7.1% to $34.8 million.
The fastest growing exports were cheese and cottage cheese, tinned fish and caviar, furniture, butter, gas stoves and electric stoves, sausages and meat products, milk whey, rapeseed oil, sawn timber, children's toys, and malt.
Brest Oblast is traditionally the country's leader in terms of export of agricultural products and food. According to the latest data, in January-May the export growth rate of agricultural products and food reached 113.9%, with export volume at $647.6 million. The figure represents nearly 26% of the country's total and 55% of Brest Oblast's total.
