Under the current circumstances, truly masterful logistics are required from the authorities to profitably sell products for export or supply components to the domestic market. This was stated by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, on September 12, while hearing a report on the work of the transport complex under sanctions, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"This is not a new topic for our discussion today. I invited you here to assess the work of the transport complex under sanctions and to find solutions, if necessary, to the most pressing issues. It is no secret that the transport industry is the natural facilitator of foreign trade operations, bringing in almost half of the foreign currency earnings from services export (approximately 45%)," noted Alexander Lukashenko.
The current situation has broken many long-established logistics chains. Naturally, this leads to increased costs for producers in all sectors, the President stated.
"To profitably sell products for export or supply components to the domestic market, truly masterful logistics are required. And it will not get easier, at least in the near future. Therefore, the Ministry of Transport's daily work remains to negotiate for wagons, containers, transit "windows," and competitive tariffs. Especially since the tasks of increasing physical volumes and diversifying exports have been set for the sectoral ministers. Their fulfillment, to some extent, depends on the efficiency of the Ministry of Transport and Belavia," emphasized the head of state.
Sufficient time has passed since the introduction of restrictions to not only identify all problem areas but also to take adequate response measures, noted Alexander Lukashenko. "For example, we timely, as they say, mirrored the ban on the movement of trucks from the European Union through our territory. Now, about a thousand vehicles are re-coupled daily. That is, they arrive here – please leave your cargo, trailers, and go back, we will transport your cargo further," the President remarked.
The head of state asked to be informed about how the Ministry of Transport is addressing the tasks of increasing rail transport in the eastern direction. "Container availability to meet demand must be one hundred percent," he demanded. "But no one is restricting you in any direction."