By Galina Kononova
Owing to the investments into the food industry, the volume and range of products shall grow, while their quality is to improve. In the coming five years, injections into the Belgospishcheprom Concern’s companies are likely to reach $1bn. If a positive decision on the construction of the fifth sugar plant in the country is made, then this sum shall rise by another $500m. The Concern says that, among the priorities of its investment programme for the coming five years, are the further modernisation of the existing facilities and the establishment of new plants, in addition to the increase of the processing depth of fresh raw materials, optimisation of logistics and creation of its commodity distribution network (primarily abroad). The Concern’s specialists view the attraction of direct foreign investments and the inclusion of the Belarusian food industry into the global food market’s system as the methods for achieving these goals.
Apart from such promising and profitable branches as sugar, beer-brewing and distillery production, cannery production also receives high attention. According to the Head of Belgospishcheprom’s Scientific-Technical Development, Capital Construction and Investments Department, Igor Shustov, since the programme of cannery branch development began its operation, over $100m has been injected; about ten new facilities have been built (all equipped with modern foreign lines). Apart from this, in recent two years, about 250 new products have been offered for sale. Specialists say that there are no problems with cannery facilities but the issues of raw materials are still acute.
In the coming years, much money is to be spent on the setting up of raw material zones for horticultural plants. “At present, we face a situation when a company has enough high-tech equipment but lacks raw materials which are competitive in price and quality. These are brought from other regions, making products more expensive as a result. For example, the Vitebsk Fruit and Vegetable Combine faces such a situation. We plan to add one of the region’s farms to it. Of course, we also need money to develop orchids and purchase the equipment. The similar work shall also be conducted at the Kletsk Cannery, which lacks raw materials to produce competitive products. All programmes dealing with the establishment of raw material zones are being elaborated by the Concern,” says the Belgospishcheprom Concern’s First Deputy Chairman, Genrikh Chernyak.
Figures and facts
From 2005-2010, $600m has been invested into the basic capital of Belgospishcheprom’s enterprises, with most money going into the sugar, beer-brewing, distillery and tobacco branches. This year, the Concern’s investment programme includes 32 projects. Most important of them are the reconstruction and technical modernisation of sugar plants and the completion of reconstruction of breweries.
At the Belarusian Investment Forum in Frankfurt-am-Main, the Belgospishcheprom Concern shall present a range of projects: the construction of a new sugar plant, a yeast plant, a new production of food acids on the basis of the Skidel Sugar Refinery Combine, and the project dealing with the setting up of bio-gas facilities on the basis of sugar plants.
