MINSK, 20 February (BelTA) – Total employment in small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Belarus exceeds 1.4 million, Belarusian Economy Minister Yuri Chebotar said in an interview to the First News TV Channel, BelTA has learned.
According to Yuri Chebotar, the SME sector can be assessed from both quantitative and qualitative sides. “For example, SMEs account for about 30% of GDP, 33% of taxes paid to the budget. SMEs collectively employ more than 1.4 million people today,” he cited the figures. “Some 30 years ago there were only about 15,000 small businesses in the country.”
As for qualitative parameters of SME development, the minister praised the momentum thanks to systematic measures to shift the focus of business to the production sector. "About 30% of SMEs operate in industry, agriculture and construction. The share of these enterprises is on the rise,” he said.
There are a total of 118,000 commercial entities in Belarus. About 111,000 of them are SMEs. “More than half of the patents are registered for small and medium-sized businesses. A patent is, after all, a development, science, which means innovation and creativity that enable them to grow into large organizations,” the minister said.
The state is interested in private initiative to develop, the minister added. “The president speaking at the meeting with representatives of private enterprises in Minsk on 17 February reiterated that it was impossible to divide business into public and private. After all, all these enterprises work for the benefit of the country’s economy. In most cases, these are enterprises that cannot do without each other. All of enterprises are of utmost importance,” Yuri Chebotar said.
According to Yuri Chebotar, the SME sector can be assessed from both quantitative and qualitative sides. “For example, SMEs account for about 30% of GDP, 33% of taxes paid to the budget. SMEs collectively employ more than 1.4 million people today,” he cited the figures. “Some 30 years ago there were only about 15,000 small businesses in the country.”
As for qualitative parameters of SME development, the minister praised the momentum thanks to systematic measures to shift the focus of business to the production sector. "About 30% of SMEs operate in industry, agriculture and construction. The share of these enterprises is on the rise,” he said.
There are a total of 118,000 commercial entities in Belarus. About 111,000 of them are SMEs. “More than half of the patents are registered for small and medium-sized businesses. A patent is, after all, a development, science, which means innovation and creativity that enable them to grow into large organizations,” the minister said.
The state is interested in private initiative to develop, the minister added. “The president speaking at the meeting with representatives of private enterprises in Minsk on 17 February reiterated that it was impossible to divide business into public and private. After all, all these enterprises work for the benefit of the country’s economy. In most cases, these are enterprises that cannot do without each other. All of enterprises are of utmost importance,” Yuri Chebotar said.
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