Belarusian enterprises quadrupled their exchange exports to the Omsk region

March 26, MINSK . Belarusian enterprises have quadrupled their exchange exports to the Omsk region, the press service of the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) told a BELTA correspondent.

“Compared to 2023, Belarusian enterprises accredited at the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange more than quadrupled the EXPORT of their products to the Omsk region of the Russian Federation. The most popular goods produced in Belarus included lumber, butter , MILK powder ,cottage cheese and wall gas silicate blocks," said Alexander Bashliy, HEAD of the BUTB Department of Foreign Economic Affairs, speaking at the business forum "Belarus - Omsk Region" in Minsk.

The event, which brought together over 130 participants from Belarus and RUSSIA, was organized by the Minsk branch of the Belarusian Trade and Industrial chamber together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Omsk region and the regional Center for providing support to participants in foreign economic activity.

According to him, active cooperation between Belarus and the Omsk region in the field of exchange trading began in September last year, when the first transaction was made to purchase blocks from cellular concrete. And a little later, supplies of Belarusian lumber products to the Omsk market started. “As a result, we ended 2023 with an exchange turnover of $319 thousand. Thus, a scheme of work with Omsk consumers was built, which made it possible to increase the export sales rate

in the first few months of 2024 up to $1.3 million. Moreover, we are not talking about one-time transactions, but about regular purchases across a wider range, which has been replenished with new product items from the agricultural group - skimmed milk powder, butter and cottage cheese. All this indicates the presence of mutual interest of Belarusian and Omsk companies in the use of exchange instruments in trading with each other,” emphasized Alexander Bashliy.

As for plans for the development of exchange trade with the Omsk region this year, then, according to the head of the BUTB Foreign Economic Activity Department, Priority attention will be paid to import substitution, since this area opens up equally broad opportunities for both Belarusian and Omsk enterprises.

“Using the import substitution service available on our industrial and consumer goods platform, Omsk agricultural enterprises could purchase spare parts and components for agricultural machinery and power tools , workwear, as well as place applications for the sale of their own products, including plastic and rubber products, which are in demand on the Belarusian market,” noted a representative of the commodity exchange.

Currently, 53 regions of the Russian Federation are involved in exchange trading with Belarus. Moreover, 12 of them were not presented at BUCE until 2023.