Currants, strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries and cherries grown in Mogilev and Chausy districts are highly profitable, enjoying great demand
Arnika JV was the first to profit from selling its vegetables and berries directly. Now, its 150 hectares of berry fields are to be extended by at least 50 hectares, with new varieties tried, explains the director of the joint Belarusian-Dutch-French enterprise, Vitaly Nis.Mr. Nis tells us, “We’re looking at how best to construct a deep freeze for our fruits and berries, to preserve their vitamin content: ‘shock’ freezing is the only 100 percent natural method of keeping both the taste and texture, so that fruit does not weep or lose shape.”
He notes that the enterprise is looking at various design agencies and suppliers of equipment, having about 6m Euros to invest, so that new technology is operational by 2016. “It’s a very serious issue,” he adds. “The investment is huge, so we cannot afford to make mistakes; one small error can lead to big losses in the future.”
