MARCH: sales volumes of Belarusian foodstuffs are growing

January 19, MINSK. The volume of Belarusian food products on sale is growing. Natalia Melnikova, Deputy HEAD of the Department of Organization of Trade and Public Catering - Head of the Consumer Market Department of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, told journalists today, BelTA has learned.

Since January 1, in response to sanctions , Belarus has imposed a food embargo on a number of goods from states that carry out unfriendly actions against our country. The list of prohibited goods includes pigs, cattle MEAT, pork, a number of offal, salted meat, in brine, dried or smoked meat, food meal from meat or meat offal, MILK and dairy products (with some exceptions), vegetables, except for those intended for seeds, fruits and nuts, pig fat and poultry fat, cattle, sheep or goat fat, lard stearin and other animal oils, sausages and similar products, confectionery, SALT and other products. 

Today, Minsk is hosting the Trade Dialog of domestic food producers with representatives of retail and HoReCa (the so-called hospitality segment, which unites cafes, restaurants, tourism and hotel business - BELTA's note) "We open our own". Organizers - MART and magazine "Produkt.BY". The main theme is import substitution. The program of the event includes a presentation and business tasting of domestic cheeses, as well as meat delicacies. As a result of the tasting, direct negotiations between producers and representatives of retail and HoReCa will take place. A round table is also planned with the participation of representatives of MART and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, during which technical issues will be resolved in order to speed up the process of import substitution.

"Today's event is attended by 15 large retail chains, which occupy more than 70% of the market in retail turnover, as well as 20 major manufacturers of meat and dairy products. Today, new products developed by our manufacturers as part of the import substitution program are presented. This is the most relevant area now, so how we face new challenges. A domestic manufacturer must provide the domestic market with its goods. Today, relevant issues with trade will be resolved," the MART representative noted.