Belarus, Russia’s Bashkortostan to boost agricultural exchange trade

MINSK, 18 March (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan will enhance cooperation in agricultural commodity exchange trading, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE).

Systematic mutual supplies of agricultural products via the BUCE platform will not only ensure a balanced structure and dynamic growth of trade between Belarus and Bashkortostan, but will also help local producers address their sales and procurement challenges. This opinion was expressed by Irina Kravchenya, leading foreign economic activity specialist at BUCE, during a presentation of the exchange platform at the international agro-industrial forum in Ufa, in the section titled as Agricultural Export: Horizons and Growth Routes.

“Exchange trade between Belarus and Bashkortostan mainly consists of meat and dairy products and lumber. However, so far this is only Belarusian exports, with the share of agricultural products accounting for 77% of all transactions. For example, in January-February of this year, Belarusian traders sold approximately $1 million worth of sweet butter, skimmed milk powder, and rendered animal fats to Bashkortostan – twice the figure for the same period last year. At the same time, the exchange’s potential as a sales tool for Bashkortostan goods in Belarus remains untapped, despite existing demand from Belarusian consumers. In particular, grain, oilseed seeds and meal, and raw materials are especially sought after. In just the first two months of this year, exchange transactions for these product categories reached $57 million equivalent. The growth rate compared to January-February 2025 is 136%,” Irina Kravchenya said.

A practical seminar titled as Exchange Trading as an Effective Tool for Developing Trade between Belarus and Bashkortostan was also held as part of the agro-industrial forum. The event, which brought together about 30 representatives of local business circles, was organized by BUCE and the Export Support Center of Bashkortostan. The seminar addressed issues most relevant to Bashkortostan businesses, such as using the exchange to enter the Belarusian market and third countries, secure settlements through BUCE accounts, procurement and sale of import-substituting products, and price monitoring using exchange quotations and indices.

As of 18 March 2026, 34 business entities from Bashkortostan are accredited at BUCE. Almost half of them joined the exchange in 2024-2026.

Founded in 2004, the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange conducted its first trading session in June 2005. BUCE is one of the largest commodity exchanges in Eastern Europe. Its main function is to assist Belarusian enterprises with export and foreign companies with entering the Belarusian market. BUCE sells a wide range of metal, forestry and agricultural products, industrial and consumer goods.