MINSK, 28 January (BelTA) – The Belarusian economy did well in 2021. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement in his address to the nation and the parliament on 28 January, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “None of the grim forecasts from so-called independent experts and international financial institutions have come true. We've exceeded last year's GDP target. The production sector, which operation we didn't stop, was the engine. As a result, the output growth rate reached a ten-year high (107%). The recovery of the world economy led to a huge demand for Belarusian goods because we didn't stop. Belarusian companies exploited the foreign market situation and secured quite good financial results and virtually cleaned out their inventories. Net profit alone exceeded Br16 billion.”
Agribusiness demonstrated similar trends, with export volume at a ten-year high. “We received good profit from agriculture and from timber industry. Those are two industries that use locally available renewable raw materials and account for a fourth of exports. And I heard so much criticism about massive investments in agriculture and particularly in woodworking industry. There was no other way. It is our resource and we have to process it,” the head of state stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that the Belarusian economy maintains all the three key indicators of balanced growth today. “The currency exchange rate is stable, the growth of the gold and forex reserves is ahead of projections, the surplus of foreign trade is at its max since 2012 (plus $2.4 billion). All of it allowed us to reduce the foreign state debt even in conditions of sanctions,” he stated.
“As a logical result we've preserved positive dynamics of real revenues of the population (102%), real salaries (nearly 105%). We didn't' curtail a single social program. Housing construction with state support increased by 14%. A total of 45,000 new apartments were commissioned,” the president noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko gave instructions to keep up the current dynamics despite the sanctions.
