Details of Lukashenko’s visit to Gomel’s Kristall Production Association

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has visited the Gomel Production Association Kristall – the Managing Company of Kristall Holding, BelTA reports

Kristall’s Director General Ruslan Sorokovoi reported to the Head of State on the results of modernisation of diamond processing production and measures taken to improve the company’s efficiency.

Gomel’s Kristall was founded in 1972 as one of seven factories of the same name in the Soviet Union. At present, only two enterprises continue their operation: in Gomel and Smolensk.

“In 1993, after the USSR collapse, the question arose about loading production facilities. The fact that today diamond processing still exists somewhere outside of India (over 90 percent of all diamond processing is currently made in India), including in Belarus, is solely due to the decisions made at your level. Having preserved diamond processing, for the first time in the republic, at our own expense, we created jewellery production, enabling us to produce more marginal items. Today, diamond processing accounts for 20 percent of our work, and jewellery making – for 80 percent,” explained Ruslan Sorokovoi.

According to the Director General, all targets for both the enterprise and the holding are being met.

Ruslan Sorokovoi noted that the plant purchases raw materials mainly from Russia, but is now starting to liaise with Zimbabwe.

“In this regard, we’ll help and encourage you. They are coming towards us. There is no need to put all eggs into one basket,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

A new direction for Kristall is the production of measured gold ingots for the Finance Ministry. Further on, the finance department sells them to business entities, banks and other financial institutions of Belarus. This is a serious contribution to import substitution, because previously ingots were supplied to Belarus from Western European countries.

The President demanded that these issues be taken under special control in order to finally replace the import of these items.

“Are we able to do everything for the National Bank? This means that from next year, and this year too, we should not import anything from Switzerland,” he stressed.

In the next two years, the factory plans to purchase additional units of new equipment and at least double its diamond production.

Aleksandr Lukashenko got acquainted in detail with the stages of jewellery production and diamond processing at the enterprise.

Gomel’s Kristall Jewellery Factory is the leading manufacturer of jewellery, diamonds and diamond tools in Belarus. Since 2013, the company has been included in the list of preferred clients of the world’s largest diamond mining company: Russia’s Alrosa.