President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is visiting the RUP "Newspaper Paper Mill" in Shklov today, BELTA reports.
The Head of State will be briefed on the progress of the investment project "Creation of a production facility for base paper for decorative facing materials with a capacity of 30 thousand tons per year". The discussion will also cover the socio-economic development of the Mogilev region and the Shklov district.
The President will also familiarise himself with the organisation of the production process.
In 2019, the Newspaper Paper Mill produced industrial products at actual prices worth Br75.7 million, an increase of 17.7% compared to 2018. Last year, the enterprise manufactured 53.4 thousand tons of paper and cardboard (an increase of 27.1%). Almost 65% of the value of the products is supplied to foreign markets (in 2019, to the markets of 42 countries). The main trading partners are Uzbekistan, Iran, Ukraine, and Turkey.
The work of the mill and the implementation of the investment project were discussed in December 2019 at a meeting chaired by the President. At that time, Prime Minister Sergei Rumas noted the existence of difficulties with a number of projects, which required decisions at the level of the Head of State. Among these projects was the production of base paper at the enterprise in Shklov. It had not reached its contractual production parameters. Currently, the line produces alternative types of products. However, this is less profitable compared to the production of base paper.
To ensure the possibility of producing base paper of the required quality, some units and assemblies need to be upgraded. The enterprise has requested additional budget funds to complete the project.
By decision of the Head of State, the work of relevant enterprises with problematic investment projects was decided to be reviewed – from issues of establishing order, executive discipline, economic activities to financial results, the availability of a business strategy, issues of improving product quality, competitiveness, and import substitution. The President then announced his intention to personally visit and inspect some enterprises at the beginning of next year. Technologies, volumes, profit, profitability – these criteria will primarily be used to assess the effectiveness of their work. The point is that enterprises should utilize all available resources to independently solve accumulated problems and only after that apply for state assistance.