Agricultural cluster, supplies of agricultural machinery and electric transport: what Krutoy agreed on in the Khabarovsk Territory

Photo of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation

September 11, Moscow . The Ambassador of Belarus to RUSSIA made a working visit to the Khabarovsk Territory on September 8-11, the press service of the Belarusian diplomatic mission told BELTA.

Taking part in the V Far Eastern Forum of Entrepreneurs, Dmitry Krutoy expressed confidence that in order to build sustainable cooperation, Belarus and the Khabarovsk Territory need joint projects. “A number of such projects have already appeared, and they are under development. First of all, they relate to the agricultural sector. In particular, the Belarusian-Russian agricultural cluster could become the flagship project in the region. The Khabarovsk Territory’s need for food products is very high, the volume of its own production covers no more than 10% of the region's needs for dairy and MEAT products. To ensure a higher level of food security, several dairy and meat farms will be built within the joint cluster using Belarusian technology. The first projects will be implemented in 2024-2025, larger farms will be created in 2026-2027. The largest dairy project is estimated at 3 billion Russian rubles, smaller ones will cost about 500 million rubles each,” the press service said.

According to the ambassador, the Khabarovsk Territory is a leader in the growth rate of trade turnover with Belarus: in 2022 it increased 2.4 times, since the beginning of this year - by another 60%. “At the same time, there are a lot of areas of cooperation,” the press service emphasized. “For example, farmers of the Khabarovsk Territory are ready to purchase equipment for MILK production and agricultural machinery in Belarus. In this regard, it seems appropriate to expand the network of service centers. Governor of the Khabarovsk Territory Mikhail Degtyarev said, that Khabarovsk residents have already “selected a partner who is financially stable, has workshops, machines, workers, and brains." Therefore, as soon as the decision is made, there will be a rapid increase in the supply of Belarusian special equipment. In the current market situation, Belarusian machine builders are competitive not only in quality,

Following negotiations with the government of the Khabarovsk Territory, Dmitry Krutoy also expressed confidence that up to 40% of the electric transport market in the region could be occupied by Belarusian manufacturers in the medium term: Belarusian equipment is recognizable in the region, which was confirmed by the exhibition-fair of Belarusian products held in Khabarovsk, including large equipment.

“A striking example is the program for updating urban passenger transport. The city places a very clear emphasis on electric models: trolleybuses, electric buses. A pilot electric bus will operate here in the winter,” the ambassador said. The key to this is the quality of products, as well as reasonable prices for Belarusian equipment. Another advantage of Belarusian suppliers is the fact that manufacturers follow the wishes of customers and adapt models to the needs of the Khabarovsk Territory market.

For their part, Khabarovsk residents expressed their readiness to supply processed fish and seafood products to Belarus.

According to Mikhail Degtyarev, Khabarovsk residents are very interested in Belarusian goods. “I am confident that we will increase cooperation and trade between our countries and regions. Only last year, after the visit of a delegation from the regional government to MINSK at the invitation of the President of Belarus , our trade volume has increased significantly. I think that in a year the Belarusian side will welcome us with our exhibition and fair on Belarusian soil. We will plan a visit of our entrepreneurs to Belarusian soil in the fall of 2024 and will also surprise Belarusians with our goods,” Mikhail Degtyarev promised.

In addition to negotiations with the HEAD of the region and participation in the Far Eastern Forum of Entrepreneurs, the program of Dmitry Krutoy’s visit included the opening of the Days of Belarus in Khabarovsk, which were organized within the framework of a bilateral intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in trade, economic, scientific, technical, social, cultural and other spheres. The Ambassador also visited a number of industrial and agricultural enterprises and got acquainted with the activities of dealer and service centers of Belarusian equipment.