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Vitebsk companies to supply dried milk and flax fibre to China

23 July 2010

VITEBSK, 23 July (BelTA) – Companies of the Chinese Province of Heilongjiang are interested in supplies of dairy products and flax fibre from Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus. The agreements on the first supplies of the Vitebsk products to China have been reached during a visit of the Chinese businessmen to the Vitebsk Oblast, BelTA learned from Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee Oleg Matskevich.

Monthly the Polotsk Dairy Plant will supply 100 tonnes of dried milk to Heilongjiang Province. Starting next year, the plant is expected to triple its supplies to China. The Orsha Flax Processing Plant has started negations with Chinese producers over the supplies of flax fiber to that country. The Vitebsk dairy plants have shipped the pilot consignment of condensed milk to China for certification procedures. One of the big Chinese trading networks is interested in supplies of the Belarusian condensed milk.

According to Oleg Matskevich, the trading contacts will become the first step on the way to set up joint companies.

For the past five months, the trade between Vitebsk Oblast and China reached $47.3 million (up 39% over the same period of last year) including export - $14.7 million (212% as against the same period of 2009). The main exports of Vitebsk Oblast to China were products of the petrochemical industry. Vitebsk Oblast also supplies optical devices, flax fibre, casein and spirits to China.

For the past five months this year, the export of Vitebsk Oblast made up $194.3 million, up 32.9% over the same period of last year. Vitebsk Oblast trades with 83 countries.