7 October, Vitebsk /Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. RUP "Vitebskoblgaz" exported about 30 thousand tons of peat products worth $1.3 million in January-August of the current year, which is more than double the volume of export supplies for the same period in 2010. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent at the enterprise. In 2011, the enterprise began to actively develop markets in Iraq and Turkey, and is also exploring opportunities to enter the Chinese market. In total, peat products are supplied to 12 countries, most of which are members of the European Union. The construction of a peat processing plant in the Dokshitsky district, which was commissioned in June 2011 and has no analogues in the post-Soviet space, has significantly increased the export potential of Vitebskoblgaz's peat production. The plant's production capacity is 38 thousand tons of peat products per year, and the modern equipment installed there allows for the production of a wide range of products in various packaging and a wide range of fractional compositions. In addition, automated production lines allow for the production of peat products with high added value, which are in high demand on the world market. This includes the production of nutrient soils with various additives (dolomitic flour, clay, etc.). More than 10 original soil formulations have already been developed at the plant, and the enterprise's potential allows for the production of soils according to individual recipes and customer requirements. The total cost of the project amounted to about Br16 billion, while savings of about Br90 million were achieved by optimizing construction deadlines. In total, over the past four years, RUP "Vitebskoblgaz" has invested more than Br46 billion in the development of peat extraction and processing, of which about 70% was directed to the renewal and replacement of fixed assets. Vitebskoblgaz's active investment policy has made it possible to make peat production profitable, whereas before the inclusion of three peat enterprises in Vitebskoblgaz, it was unprofitable. According to the results of work for 8 months of 2011, the volume of peat extraction by Vitebskoblgaz amounted to 80 thousand tons, which is almost 50% higher than in the same period of 2007. According to the results of 2011, Vitebskoblgaz plans to increase the volume of production in monetary terms to Br9 billion. -0-

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