NAS: Belarus’ producers mastering new markets for meat and dairy products

Belarus has established itself as a reliable supplier of agri-food products on the world market, with meat and dairy products forming the basis of the national export basket. In recent years, dairy products accounted for about 40 percent of total exports of national agricultural and food products, meat and meat products accounted for around 17-19 percent. About 60 percent of produced dairy products and about 30 percent of meat are supplied to foreign markets. The Institute of System Research in the Agro-Industrial Complex of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus told us how export potential can be increased under sanctions pressure.

“One of the priorities of Belarus’ foreign trade is its diversification across countries and regions, since this enables us to neutralise foreign trade risks. Belarus is systematically working to enhance the country’s participation in trade and economic processes aimed at increasing export potential and searching for new markets. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, in 2022, export revenues from dairy products totalled $3.45bn, with goods supplied to fifty countries. In January-July 2023 alone, in value terms, compared to the same period last year, the export of animal butter increased by 0.5 percent, that of cottage cheese rose by 4.4 percent, exports of milk and cream in consumer packaging – by 8.2 percent. Milk and dairy products were delivered to 53 countries. Belarusian producers are exploring new markets, including Afghanistan, India, Qatar, Egypt, Senegal, Bahrain, Myanmar and other states. In 2022, $1.52bn of meat was exported to 18 countries. The new markets include the DPRK and Turkmenistan,” the institute’s specialists noted.