IVYE DISTRICT, 21 August (BelTA) – During a working trip to Ivye District, Grodno Oblast on 21 August, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko gave an instruction to provide support to private woodworking companies, BelTA has learned.
While touring LidaTehmash, a private company producing farm machines, Aleksandr Lukashenko was shown products of another private business operating on the same premises. This company makes wooden boxes for vegetables, fruit, berries and mushrooms.
This business has good growth prospects, the demand is going to be strong, in particular in view of the plans to reduce the use of plastic packaging. However, additional raw materials are needed. The business is ready to purchase them, but in comparatively small amounts, which can be difficult. “We need to come to grips with this matter within the region. These are domestic raw materials. And this is not only about this particular company. The price is no issue for them. They can purchase this timber directly from forestry companies,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president also offered the company head support in growing his business and launching operations in other regions. “If you come forward with some proposals, we will uphold them,” he assured.
“There is a lot of unprocessed timber. We need to encourage people to go into the woodworking business, in particular in the areas where we have a great amount of raw materials. We should not just suggest that businesses start something. We need to help them and take care of their needs,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He noted that pellet fuel production is a good example of how lucrative this business can be. “The most important thing is the availability of the market. These products are high in demand. We want natural gas that will grow in prices every day, oil, diesel fuel, gasoline or electricity (which is also pretty expensive). At the same time, these resources [wood] are right under our feet and are greatly undervalued. This is an eco-friendly type of fuel,” the president said.
