GOMEL, 4 February (BelTA) – Companies of Belarus' Gomel Oblast launched exports of products to nine new countries in 2020, Gomel Oblast Vice Governor Andrei Konyushko said at a meeting of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee on 4 February, BelTA has learned.
In 2020, we started exporting products to nine new countries. For example, we supplied Gomselmash harvesters to Zimbabwe and dairy products to Sudan and Central Africa,” Andrei Konyushko said. Gomel Oblast companies also supplied new partners with timber, machine tools and other products.
The region has been actively working with China. “Last year we exported $91 million worth of goods to China, up one third from 2019,” the vice governor said. Service exports to China totaled $1.7 million.
Keeping the presence on traditional markets intact, the task is to increase the volume of exports to the far away countries, Andrei Konyushko said. In 2020, the EU countries accounted for 30% of total exports of the region, the EAEU - 41%, the far away coutnries - 29%.
In general, last year the growth of the region's export of goods slightly exceeded 93%. It was 97.5% across utilities and private enterprises. Belarus posted trade surplus of $309 million. Belarus had trade deficit in 2019.
Andrei Konyushko stressed that a lot of attention would be paid to exports in 2021 as well. “Export remains a key area. In 2021 it must make up at least $3.9 billion,” he said.
