Maria Klimova
MINSK, 11 January (BelTA) – More than 130 Belarusian food enterprises have the necessary certificates to sell to China, Maria Klimova, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of Processing Industry at the Agriculture and Food Ministry, told The Nation Speaks project of BelTA.
Every market in the world has its own certification requirements, said Maria Klimova. “All our products are made from organic raw materials. Our raw materials are also produced domestically, which helps ensure their quality and safety. We also boast modern technologies, which serves as a kind of reassurance for inspectors who come from other countries to certify our enterprises,” she noted.
According to her, China and the European Union have the toughest certification requirements in the world. “Credit where credit is due, almost all of our dairy and meat factories have passed certification tests. More than 130 enterprises have been certified for the Chinese market, this fact speaks volumes,” said Maria Klimova.
The certification process continues, with more companies and products getting the certificates. “Our enterprises are certified to sell to the European Union, even though we do not supply products there, or supply very little of them. Other countries know that if we have certificates to sell to China and the EU, it means that we have all the most advanced quality and product safety systems - ISO, HACCP and others,” said Maria Klimova.
It is very important to adapt Belarus’ GOST quality standards to international standards, because GOST alone does not guarantee certification in foreign markets, though it serves as a solid foundation to do that, economic analyst Georgy Grits added.
