Abukhovich: Belarus has made progress in reducing dependence on imports in engineering and building materials

April 8, MINSK. Belarus has made some progress in reducing its dependence on imports in some industries, especially in the agriculture, building materials and engineering sectors. Yulia Abukhovich, senior lecturer at the Department of Economic Theory and Marketing of the Belarusian State Technological University, said this in an interview with a BelTA correspondent, commenting on the President's Address to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly.

“Recently, Belarus has been forced to pursue a policy of import substitution in order to reduce its dependence on foreign goods and services, especially in the face of tightening sanctions and restrictions from Western countries. In general, our country has achieved some success in reducing its dependence on imports in some industries, especially in the sectors of agriculture, building materials and engineering," Yulia Abukhovich said.

Belarus has significantly increased domestic production of MEAT, MILK and vegetables, further reducing its already modest dependence on imported food. "The country timely invested in the modernization of its agricultural sector and the increase in food production capacity, which ensured the saturation of the domestic market and led to an increase in the EXPORT of these products," she said.

In addition, Belarus is prioritizing the development of the domestic building materials industry, reducing dependence on imported materials such as cement, bricks and roofing materials. This also made it possible to increase the export of building materials to neighboring countries, especially to RUSSIA.

"Our republic also increased domestic production of machinery and equipment, especially in the field of agriculture and transport. This led to an increase in the export of tractors, trucks and other equipment to neighboring countries, especially to Russia and Kazakhstan," the expert emphasized.

However, according to Yulia Abukhovich, there are still several sectors in which Belarus is still heavily dependent on imports, especially in energy, pharmaceuticals and high-tech equipment. "Our country imports almost all of its oiland gas from Russia, making it highly dependent on its neighbor for energy supplies. Recently, fuel for nuclear power plants has been added to this, which, with an increase in overall dependence on energy imports from a neighboring country, has relatively reduced the ability of individual suppliers (oil, gas and nuclear fuel) to dictate their terms. Also, Belarus is still heavily dependent on the import of medicines, especially from Russia and Europe, she said. “Currently, we lack the infrastructure and experience to manufacture certain types of high-tech equipment such as computer equipment and medical equipment, which leads to a significant dependence on imports.”

“Overall, while Belarus has made progress in reducing its dependence on imports in certain sectors, there is still much to be done to achieve a more self-sufficient economy. Belarus’ alliance with Russia will help achieve this goal, especially given the current geopolitical climate and growing tensions in the relations of allied countries with Western countries," the expert stressed.

*** Full text of the interview on the BelTA website.