Belarus can ensure export growth rate in 2013 above the projected parameter - A. Guryanov

On September 26, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. Belarus can ensure an export growth rate in 2013 exceeding the set forecast parameter of 115.2%. This was announced to BelTA correspondent by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Alexander Guryanov, commenting on the key parameters of the country's socio-economic development forecast for 2013, approved by Decree No. 418 of September 25, 2012. "From the export perspective, the parameters are realistic, this is an achievable figure; we set ourselves a moderately optimistic target for exports of 115.2%," he noted. "But we are setting more significant tasks for ourselves to work ahead of schedule." According to him, previously export growth was largely driven by favorable price conditions, meaning prices were rising, but physical export volumes grew on a smaller scale. Now, there are positive growth trends in a number of export items. "Therefore, we hope that the established forecast indicators are the minimum indicators that will be ensured," he emphasized. According to the Deputy Minister, the forecast indicators should be approached comprehensively. "The adopted decree is a guideline for the thorough development of specific measures at the industry level. We are already working today to translate this global indicator for the country into specific projects and contracts at the level of economic entities and industries. We plan the development of supplies accordingly for each of these figures," emphasized Alexander Guryanov. Within the framework of the National Export Development Program until 2015, the implementation of a number of projects for the creation of new production facilities in industry, including in woodworking and other sectors, is envisaged, which will ensure the production of new types of products in demand on the market. This will contribute to maintaining and increasing the positive foreign trade balance. The Deputy Minister recalled that the export program provides for annual planning of projects, measures, and contracts to achieve the forecast export indicators. It lays down the ultimate goals for this period, namely, an increase in exports of goods by 2.2 times and services by 3 times compared to 2010. Projects that will yield new export products are outlined for industries, regions, and major producers, as is the work to create favorable conditions for entering third-country markets.

"When joining the WTO and liberalising foreign trade, we must first and foremost concentrate our attention on sectors and industries that form our competitive advantages," noted Alexander Guryanov. "This involves working with local raw materials, our own technologies, and leveraging integration opportunities. This will allow us to focus production on those sectors where we can genuinely offer strong competition to products from third countries." Another area is the development of services exports, which is an integral part of the National Export Development Programme. Over five years, services exports are expected to grow more than threefold compared to goods exports. To achieve this, the export of new types of services is being expanded. "We are actively encouraging both private and public sectors to develop service types such as tourism, education, IT, and business services. The High Technologies Park was specifically created for the export of innovative and information services," noted the MFA representative. A major project in the export of construction services is the construction of a mining and processing plant in Turkmenistan. This is essentially a Belarusian project that encompasses a full range of services – construction, engineering, and education (training specialists in Belarus). "Through the MFA (and with government support), we are raising the issue that there should not be a pure export of goods, but rather a combined effort. This means that the supply of goods must be followed by services, and comprehensive ones at that, starting from the transportation of the export commodity, freight forwarding, insurance, after-sales service, and specialist training. In essence, we are pushing to extract the full range of benefits from our traditional export items, including the export of services," he believes. To fulfil the set export objectives, a strategy has been defined, and new growth priorities have been identified. Belarusian goods and services are present in over 170 countries worldwide. The task is to ensure that new markets develop on a long-term basis, rather than through one-off supplies. "We have identified growth points for ourselves – a number of countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia. For these purposes, we are also developing our network of foreign institutions, whose primary task is to promote exports," the source reported. "We expect our embassy in Indonesia, which covers Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia, to become more active and achieve a breakthrough in export positions there."

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