Made in Belarus QR code for food developed
Promotion of Belarusian brands and enhancement of competitiveness of domestic products discussed as part of the FOOD PROM national food industry forum
The event – organised by the Belgospishcheprom Concern – has brought together the major food producers, representatives of state agencies and retail chains.
“This is our first national food industry forum and I believe it will become a good platform for us to share successes, demonstrate new products, communicate and develop further strategies to improve sales,” Anatoly Buben, the Chairman of the Belgospishcheprom Concern, said, adding, “We produce high-quality products but it’s also necessary to present and advertise them correctly.”
According to Mr. Buben, Belgospishcheprom has developed a special QR code – Made in Belarus – which will be placed on all labels and packages of the concern’s products. Customers can use a QR code on their smartphones to visit the concern's promotional website and then go to the manufacturer's website to find a complete description of the product.
“I’d like to note that the President has set a task to ensure 85 percent of all products sold in shops are domestically produced. We aim to achieve this figure and, to succeed, retail facilities and networks help us. Export diversification is also a priority for us, so that not only Russia will be our main sales market. We are interested in the Asian market, in particular China: in 2020, our sales there tripled and we have already added another 20 percent this year. We do not forget about Europe as well. Though sanctions are being imposed, the volume of products sold there is not falling,” Mr. Buben explained.
During the forum, business representatives were introduced to the Belarusian food producers’ offers: the companies prepared detailed presentations of their brands. In addition, our enterprises organised a tasting exhibition of their products – enabling all those who wished to treat to new products. Special attention was paid to development of the confectionery industry: a round table discussion focused on the ways to solve the most sensitive problems.
The Deputy Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, Andrei Kartun, noted that he is pleased when our manufacturers offer new products. “Here, a potential buyer can find many new proposals. I hope the demand of our citizens, who especially value high-quality products, will be satisfied. Domestic manufacturers have something to offer and we believe their new products will soon be sold countrywide,” he said.
Mr. Kartun also stressed that retail chains and manufacturers keep their dialogue going, “Retail chains are always looking for the most profitable and marketable product and they are now interested in working with Belarusian manufacturers. This is beneficial to them in many ways, including logistics. I’d like to note also that the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade holds regular meetings to investigate all problematic issues and find decision points. We have no systemic problems between manufacturers and retail chains.”
According to the General Director of the Slodych Confectionery, Aleksandr Nechai, the forum provided a great opportunity to discuss further co-operation with partners and Belarus’ major retail chains. “In general, speaking of the competition, I can assert that Slodych leads in the cookie segment. Our competitors can be divided into two groups: foreign manufacturers and our colleagues who work as part of the concern. At the same time, we interact with our colleagues, co-operate and each of us is shifting into a certain segment: cookies, chocolate, sweets. We find balanced positions so that everyone feels good in the market. Speaking about the advantages we have over foreign producers, I can note the balance of quality and cost of products, and also recognition of the brands that have gained a good reputation.”
