In January-May the companies under Belcoopsoyuz (Belarusian union of cooperative societies) earned $14.1 million in export revenues, chairman of the board of Belcoopsoyuz Vladimir Kuleshov told reporters.

Belcoopsoyuz had a foreign trade surplus of $4.1 million. “Just recently we have held a big exhibition/fair in the town of Gatchina, Leningrad oblast. Nineteen organisations of Belcoopsoyuz that took part in the event concluded the deals to the tune of $300,000. We have agreed with our colleagues from the Leningrad union of cooperative societies that we will deliver Belarusian goods directly, without any middlemen,” Vladimir Kuleshov said. 

Analyzing foreign trade, Vladimir Kuleshov said that the furs accounted for the most part of the export (45.5% or $6.4 million). Potatoes accounted for 10.7% or $1.5 million. Belcoopsoyuz’ exported meat worth $2.3 million (16%), wild-growing berries and mushrooms $0.58 million (4.1%), vegetables $0.25 million (1.7%), and products made of secondary raw materials $0.2 million (1.4%). 

In January-May this year the export of wild-growing products increased by 27% over the same period last year (from 154 tonnes to 216 tonnes), that of meat 7.4 times (from 98 tonnes to 721 tonnes). 

This year Belcoopsoyuz enjoyed trading links with 17 countries. The biggest partner is which share increased from 48% to 58%.                  

In 2009 Belcoopsoyuz will seek to ensure that the growth of export outpace that of import, to achieve a trade surplus and meet the H1 goals set out by the Belcoopsoyuz administration. 

For the past five years Belcoopsoyuz has boosted export from $25.1 million to $47.4 million, or up by 88.5% over 2004. The rate of growth of exports outpaced that of imports by 47.9%. As a result every year Belcoopsoyuz had a surplus in foreign trade, Vladimir Kuleshov said.

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