MINSK, 8 April (BelTA) – Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova and Chairman of the State Control Committee of Belarus Vasily Gerasimov paid a visit to the Belarusian textile manufacturer Kamvol, held a working session and got familiar with the manufacturing process of the company on 8 April. The session raised issues related to the company's activity and its further development, sales, and the launching of the production of woolen fabric at Kamvol, BelTA has learned.
“We have come to see how the instructions of the head of state are implemented, what the current problems are, how the business plan is moving on, how the products are sold and what quantity of them is produced. This was the main task set by the head of state during his visit to Kamvol. The second question concerns the enterprise Sukno. The president supported the proposal to locate the production on the idle premises of Kamvol,” Natalya Kochanova said.
The speaker added that such close attention to these two enterprises is not accidental. “These are the industries that were originally ours. They produce fabrics of fairly good quality today. We need to see the prospects, however, and we cannot procrastinate in solving these issues. The State Control Committee, as instructed by the president, oversees the fulfillment of this instruction. I, as the head of state's authorized representative in Minsk, always get involved in such issues, because it is very important to us. It is something we know how to do, where we have a number of competencies and specialists who know how to produce good fabrics and sell them in the market. Another instruction from the president is not only to produce fabrics, but also ready-made products, such as suits, dresses and school uniforms. To do this, a task was set to open a design workshop. I know that such a workshop has already been opened,” she said.
Natalya Kochanova is sure that the company needs to advertise its products more in order to find new consumers. It is also important to ensure good working conditions and decent wages for the workers. “Most of the workers are women here. There are also many young people, which is great. During my previous visit here, people asked questions about the housing and the construction of pre-school facilities. I keep all these matters under control. It is all very important for employment,” she said.
The speaker added that Kamvol has good prospects. “The government is keeping track of the matter. For our part, we are also ready to lend a hand, where necessary, so that the process goes faster,” said Natalya Kochanova.
Deputy Director General for Commercial Affairs at Kamvol Yulia Grinchik told the media that the company produced and sold products worth Br31.5 million in 2020. “This provided a growth of 13.6% compared to the previous year. Despite difficult market conditions, we sold to more than 15 countries. Our main and traditional markets are Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. These directions are being actively developed. The main growth was in the Russian market. We had a 25% growth rate in physical terms. The trend is maintained in 2021 as well. In Q1, the exports to the Russian market grew by 38%. Our products are also sold to the EU markets of Lithuania, Latvia, Serbia and Poland. We are actively moving in new directions. There is interest from India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates,” she said.
The deputy director general recalled that in 2017 the company launched the production of fabric with wool content mainly for the men's range. “This is a high-class fabric for men's business suits. Last year we tested the production of fabric with low wool content, flax fabric, which are also very high-quality fabrics in terms of environmental friendliness, tactility and drapeability. They are available to a mass consumer thanks to lower prices. We are moving further and start producing clothes from our fabrics. Today there are two lines of garments for men and women. The women's clothing line is presented under the Kamvol Collection brand, the men's line - under the Lemongrass brand. We have opened pilot stores. One of them operates in the shopping center Galereya in Pobeditelei Prospect, another one in the shopping center Korona in Denisovskaya Street. We are planning to open stores in the shopping center Stolitsa, President Hotel, as well as a large store at the basis of our company. We are looking to implement these plans this year and to give the consumer a wider assortment of our products,” she said.
Yulia Grinchik added that the enterprise aims at meeting the needs of any consumer both on the Belarusian market and abroad.
Photos by Andrei Pokumeiko
