80 thousand tonnes of Moldovan fruits and vegetables will be exported to Belarus

By the end of this year, 80 thousand tonnes of Moldovan agricultural products will be exported to Belarus according to the signed agreements. Of these, 60 thousand tonnes will be fruits, 10 thousand tonnes will be vegetables, 10 thousand tonnes will be grapes and wines, and the overall price of these is estimated at approximately USD 40 million. According to data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, the overall value of exported products and merchandise to Belarus could reach approx. USD 200 million, which triples the last year’s figure. In 2005, the overall export was USD 66.5 million, and increased by 13% compared to 2004. Statistics show that in the first 7 months of this year, exports to Belarus have been USD 34.4 million, a 15% increase compared to the same period from last year. The improvement of the Moldovan-Belarus relations was discussed in a recent meeting of the ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Anatolie Gorodenco, with the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Belarus in the Republic of Moldova, Vasili Sakovici. During the meeting matters such as the improvement of the Moldovan-Belarus relations were discussed, The Belarus scientist suggested the creation of a joint Moldovan-Belarus enterprise to produce potato seeds and early plantations potato on the Moldovan lands and the subsequent selling of these potatoes on the Belarus market. The experimental plots of the Fitotehnic Institute currently have 13 types of potatoes presented by Belarus scientists.