MINSK, 26 February (BelTA) - Food accounted for a fifth of Belarus' exports in 2020, Belarus' Agriculture and Food Minister Ivan Krupko said during the ministry board meeting, BelTA has learned.
“In 2020 farm and food exports rose by 4.3% to $5.8 billion over 2019, or up by 37% over the past five years. The foreign trade surplus increased to $1.5 billion in 2020 from $155 million in 2016, while imports went down by more than $400 million by 2019. The share of agricultural and food exports in Belarus' overall exports of in 2020 almost reached 20% and increased by more than 3% as against 2019," Ivan Krupko said.
Belarusian food producers supplied goods to 116 countries, including the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South and North America.
The minister highlighted the growth in gross agricultural output in 2019: 4.9% in all categories of enterprises, and 6.9% in agricultural organizations. All Belarusian regions posted an increase in agricultural output. “The biggest contributors over the past five years were Brest Oblast (22%), Minsk Oblast (18%) and Grodno Oblast (14%). Positive dynamics was registered in Mogilev Oblast (7%), and Vitebsk Oblast (6%). Only Gomel Oblast failed on this front. Over the five years the level of production in the region shrank (97.7%)", the minister noted.
