The economy of Belarus in brief. Belarusian paradox: why the country’s agricultural sector, despite high profitability, suffers losses

Industry of Belarus

Note 1

The development of industry in Belarus for a long time was guided by the national economic complex of the USSR. Currently, the country's economy is focused mainly on its own labor resources and depends on imported raw materials.

basis fuel and energy complex is peat. The country's economy uses large number imported gas from Russia and Ukraine. Belarus also imports oil. Electric power industry represented mainly by thermal power plants (Vasilevitskaya, Berezovskaya, Lukomlskaya). Hydroelectric power stations in the country are low-power and have only local significance. The reason is that the flat terrain does not allow the construction of dams with large elevation differences.

• Mechanical engineering well developed. Automotive industry presented in Minsk, Mogilev, Zhodino. A developed network of enterprises has been created in the country agricultural engineering(Minsk, Gomel, Bobruisk, Vitebsk, Borisov). Enterprises play an important role instrumentation and electronic engineering Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Gomel, Mozyr. Televisions, radio equipment, cameras, watches, and refrigerators are produced here. Almost $85% of mechanical engineering products are exported.
• New industries for Belarus are black and non-ferrous metallurgy . These industries are developing on imported raw materials.
• Chemical industry represented by the production of potash fertilizers, synthetic fibers and resins, production household chemicals, wood chemical industry.
• The production of building materials is developed almost entirely using our own raw materials.
• Forestry and wood processing industry They also develop using their own raw materials. Enterprises are located in many cities of the republic. The largest of them are located in Vitebsk, Shklov, Dobrush, Mozyr.
• Enterprises light industry They work on both their own and imported raw materials. Belarus is famous as a producer of various fabrics, knitted and sewing products, leather goods and footwear. The main centers of light industry are located in Mogilev, Orsha, Baranovichi, Minsk, Gomel, Vitebsk, and Brest. The products of these enterprises are in demand not only in the country, but are also exported.
• Food industry represented by the meat, dairy, fruit canning, alcohol and starch industries. She is completely product oriented. agriculture. The food industry is developed in every region, and a significant part finished products goes for export.

Finished works on a similar topic

• Coursework Economy of Belarus 410 rub.
• Abstract Economy of Belarus 260 rub.
• Test Economy of Belarus 240 rub.

Agriculture

Agricultural production in Belarus is characterized by a high level of intensification and is an important component of the country's agro-industrial complex. Natural conditions are favorable for the development of agriculture throughout the republic. Both livestock farming and crop farming are developed in Belarus. Agricultural land covers almost half of the country's total area.

Note 2

Leading industries livestock farming are breeding large cattle dairy and meat production and pig farming. Located near cities poultry enterprises.

Crop production represented by cultivation grain crops(barley, rye, buckwheat, oats), fiber flax, potatoes, beets. Grains account for $45% of crop production. Flax growing– the traditional branch of specialization of the republic. The country has long been famous for its linen products and crafts.

Transport

Belarus is a developed state. Therefore, all types of land transport and aviation are developed in this country. The leading branch of transport is railway transport. The main transport hubs are Brest, Minsk, Gomel. An important role also plays road transport. The length of paved roads exceeds $52,000 kilometers. Pipeline transport ensures the flow of gas and oil into the country and transit to Western Europe. River transport is poorly developed, since most rivers are non-navigable.

The Republic of Belarus or Belarus is a landlocked country in eastern Europe. The Republic was one of the first among the countries of the former Soviet Union to gain its independence in 1990 and finally left the USSR economy in 1991. The exit entailed a series of indignations and had a sharp impact on the currency, prices, production and citizens of the country.

Today, Belarus is a state with dependent exports and imports from two powers, however, it is also one of the most comfortable countries for citizens to realize their ambitions, despite the political situation and partial restrictions on rights and freedoms.

The population of the Republic is about 9.5 million people, for each citizen the production of goods and services is 7,665 US dollars and, at purchasing power parity, about 18,000 of the same currency.

The overall GDP and GDP in PPP terms of the country are 71 billion and 166 billion US dollars. The inflation rate at the end of 2014 was 16.2%.

Formation of the country's economy

The economy of Belarus was formed in rather difficult conditions. The country, after the collapse of the USSR and the severance of economic ties with the rest of the territories of the former Union, suffered the most. Probably, Kazakhstan suffered more than Belarus with 2500-3000% inflation in 1992-1993 alone, but this is also debatable.

The country has lost everything - from the provision of raw materials to financing.

Production stopped and the state fell into chaos. Politicians pulled the country out of this chaos, but first things first.

Economy of Belarus in the 90s

After the collapse of the Union, the republic did not suffer much at first. In the first year complete independence 1991-1992, the country was still hanging on with relatively low inflation of 248%. Many enterprises and factories were operating, however, by 1993 everything became much worse. In 1992 it reached its peak and for the year amounted to 1659%. Industrial production, due to uncertainties in payment and lack of contracts, began to lose ground many times more. Between 1991 and 1995, the industry fell by 41%.

The Republic experienced the first significant decline in industry in 1993, but the further decline of this industry, the failure of factory production and the opening of a cashless market for a country poor in goods and services led the country to great chaos. During this period, the so-called policy of inflating the purchasing power of the national currency took place. In 1992-1994, for one Belarusian currency they gave 10 times more goods and services than it was worth.

Afterwards, the government introduced the famous “bunnies” to curb inflation and slow down the depreciation of money and subsequently carry out redenomination without changing the currency, i.e. change in banknote denominations after hyperinflation processes. True, the excellent idea went awry, which led to a further deterioration of the national currency. But every cloud has a silver lining, inflation stopped significantly, amounting to 107.5% by the end of 1995, a 2-fold drop by 1991 and 15-fold by 1992.

Policy

Political divisions in the state became especially clearly visible after the overthrow of the first leader of the country and the emergence of Lukashenko as a guarantor. During his first presidency, a number of changes took place, which every Belarusian must now respect; the country did not become Zimbabwe or another poor republic, like Bangladesh, etc.

The President and the head of the National Bank, after the IMF loan and lowering the refinancing rate, brought the Belarusian ruble to stability and saved the economy from hyperinflation. This happened in 1995.

In subsequent years, the president came into conflict with parliament and later constitutionally beheaded him, which gave Mr. Lukashenko the right to be elected for a third and fourth term in the 2000s.

The most important economically developing factor was the signing of the first agreement between Russia and Belarus on the creation of a union state. From then on, it began to develop, and contracts with Russian companies gave an excellent impetus to the development of industry.

The country's economy in the 21st century

Belarus entered the 21st century with the same problem - inflation. True, now it was no longer so fabulous, but with the same thing you could buy a loaf of bread weighing 1 kg for a wad of money with about the same weight.

Inflation was about 35% in 2002 and subsequently only decreased (by 2005 it was only 8%). Either another 1000 times, or the right actions of economic sanctions and policies helped the country's economy. It is interesting that later many Western banks and investors began to seriously think about the Belarusian ruble as an object for investing funds.

True, inflation in 2011 amounted to 108.7%.

Perhaps a historical excursion is quite tedious, but without it it is difficult to understand the formation and further development of the country, and a country like Belarus is completely unrealistic.

Pillars of the economy: industry and agriculture

Industry

The industrial sector of the Republic of Belarus is quite promising and is now increasingly aimed at developing international standards. Thus, the country produces 17% of all combines in the world and occupies 30% of the dump truck market. The industry of the Republic is strong, and if we ignore the dependence on raw materials from the supply of iron and iron-containing ores, which the country has but is not mined, then the country’s industry is one of the strongest in the world.

This industry occupies the lion's share of the country's economy - 40% of all goods produced in the country and provides jobs for 29% of the population.

The following industries are traditional and leading for Belarus:

• metallurgy,
• metalworking and mechanical engineering,
• chemistry,
• petrochemistry,
• food,
• woodworking

The most important feature of Belarusian industry is that despite the country's transition to the era of capitalism and commerce, the country still uses the Soviet approach to industry, i.e. . Yes, the country lives according to a planned economy and sometimes it happens that goods produced in factories are not sold on time.

Metallurgy

The main problem of Belarus is that iron ores and non-ferrous metal ores are not mined here. For the production of cast iron, steel, and non-ferrous metals, scrap imported from abroad is used, or finished products are converted into steel.

The metallurgy of Belarus includes 17 ferrous metallurgy plants and 6 non-ferrous metallurgy plants. The main production of steel and cast iron is carried out at:

• BMZ (Belarusian Metallurgical Plant - 80% of total production, it is the largest in the country, and its quality is confirmed by many authorities in the EU and CIS countries);
• Gomel Foundry;
• Mogilev Metallurgical Plant.

Metalworking and mechanical engineering

These two industries are the main ones in Belarus. The economic potential of the country is based on them.

Mechanical engineering is represented by the production of tractors, trolleybuses, MAZ and BelAZ trucks, machine tools and a very long list of products that are produced at more than 600 enterprises in the country. The bulk of mechanical engineering and metalworking enterprises are located in Minsk, Lida, Vitebsk and Gomel.

Mechanical engineering and metalworking account for about 40% of industrial output or 25-30% of the country's output; in price terms this is 22% of the cost of all goods. The mechanical engineering industry of the Republic consists of:

• automotive industry;

• machine tool industry;

• tractor manufacturing;

• mechanical engineering for agricultural needs;

• electronic engineering;

• construction engineering.

The industry is not only the main one, but also a priority one for Belarus. Metalworking and mechanical engineering are highly competitive and are represented on the world market as a leader in many branches of mechanical engineering. The industry not only allows you to attract to the country a huge part investments, but also helps in the re-equipment of many enterprises in the country. Thus, Belarus receives new equipment for the lion’s share of its enterprises, which allows them to produce a higher quality product.

Chemistry and petrochemistry

The chemical and petrochemical industry of Belarus is one of the most important for the country. There are about 75 enterprises in these industries operating in the country. About 70% of the industry's output is exported; in terms of monetary share, these industries produce 12% of the value of all the country's goods. The chemical industry accounts for 9.6% of the working population.

Petrochemicals in the country have begun to develop in recent years, after the greater discovery of oil and gas deposits, more precisely, their exploration and development. Development of the deposits began in 1965, but at a rather low pace. There are 75 oil and gas fields in the country, however, the share of production is 10 times less than the needs of the Republic. However, the country has a fairly well-developed petrochemical complex.

The main products of the chemical and petrochemical industry are:

• mineral fertilizers - 16% of the global production of potassium chloride,
• tires,
• polyester fabrics,
• polyethylene,
• fiberglass,
• polyamide fabrics.

Belarus is one of the largest suppliers of potassium and nitrogen fertilizers to the world; the level of export of this product is 86% of everything produced in the country.

Main enterprises of the industry:

• "GrodnoAzot"
• "Gomel Chemical Plant"
• "Belaruskali"
• "Belshina".

Food industry

Belarusian food industry producers are quite firmly established as the best in quality. Pleasant natural taste, small amount of impurities, competitive price have made it possible for the meat, dairy, confectionery, and sugar industries food industry the most popular in terms of consumer potential in countries bordering Belarus.

The most striking example of the Belarusian food industry is dairy products, which account for 4% of all global supplies of dairy products.

The largest enterprises are “Babushkina Krynka” and “Savushkin Product”.

Agriculture

The country's agriculture is very well developed, a huge number of livestock and excellent crop yields make the country independent in terms of food. Agriculture plays a leading role in the country's economy, providing 17% of investment and about 8% of GDP. The structure of agriculture is built on former Soviet collective and state farms, these enterprises receive huge financial injections from the government, which was the right step, winning a significant number of markets for Belarus. Now this industry is increasingly paying for itself at its own expense.

Crop production

Agriculture in Belarus consists of vast territories sown with grains: barley, rye, wheat, and planted with root crops: potatoes, fodder crops, sugar beets. The country also grows 16% of the world's flax crops. Soils based on dried swamps give a good level of productivity. Wheat shows yields of 40-70 centners per hectare.

Livestock

Livestock farming accounts for about 60% of total agricultural sector revenue. Livestock farming accounts for 150 industrial complexes, designed for about 500,000 cattle places. On average, 700 kg of milk and 120 kg of meat are produced per capita. A significant part is exported.

Trade

The country's industrial complex is built in such a way that it creates a condition of openness for the economy. The country produces far more goods than it can consume, and therefore about 50% of all goods are exported.

Main trading partners are Russia, Ukraine, Germany, China, Poland, Venezuela, Latvia and the Netherlands. The country has a negative trade of 4 billion. The total indicator of trade relations is about 76 billion dollars.

The trade of the republic is increased by its presence in Customs Union since 2010. Thanks to this cooperation program between the three countries, exports have an equal share of the markup as for goods own production, and those imported from Russia and Kazakhstan.

Export

Over the past 10 years, the country has begun to increase its export level at a Stakhanov-like pace. The main country for which Belarusian goods are supplied is Russia (Russia's share here is 50-70%). We can safely say that the republic’s economy is built on trade relations with Russia. Exports amount to 41 billion dollars. Main export items: fertilizers and mineral products - 33%, agricultural products - 15%, vehicles - 9.7%, ferrous metals - 4%.

Products are supplied to 182 countries, but five countries account for 70% of total exports. The main exporters of Belarusian products: Russia, Ukraine, China and EU countries: Germany and Poland.

Despite its focus on the Russian economy, Belarus has trade relations with many countries of the world and if we cut off supplies of products to Russia, the share of other partners - the EU, Ukraine and China is 30-40%. This is despite the fact that most of these countries imported more goods from Belarus with great pleasure, but the closed nature of trade in the Customs Union does not allow them to fully spread their wings.

Import

Belarus imports 4 billion more than it exports. These are mainly: mineral products - 30%, cars, equipment and machinery - 26%, base metals - 10-11%, food products -12%.

Energy

In this area of ​​economics there is complete dependence from raw materials imported into the country. The state has the capacity to produce its own energy resources: the Mozyr Oil Refinery and the Novopolotsk Oil Refinery. True, Russian raw materials are used to load them. These refineries produce about 20,000,000 tons of petroleum products.

Gas is also supplied from neighboring Russia at domestic Russian prices. Costs for gas supply are compensated by the fact of transporting Russian carbohydrates through the territory of the country; even more, for 15 years the republic received a positive balance for the re-export of oil and gas to other countries.

Electricity is produced mainly by thermal power plants and hydroelectric power plants. In the past, Belarus largely imported electricity from Ukraine and Russia, but over time it is ready to become an exporter of electricity itself. All this is thanks to hydroelectric power plants under construction and equipment modernization.

The country is rich in combustible materials such as peat, oil shale, brown coal, and has minor gas and oil reserves. Gas began to be developed more actively. The volumes produced are not enough to supply the country, but for some it is enough. The country produces about 250 million cubic meters of gas and 210 million tons of oil.

In general, it cannot be called energy complex the country is independent, just like other branches of the state. But Belarus is doing everything possible for this.

Transport

Transport in the country is represented by roads, railways and air transport.

Railway

The railway provides 70-80% of all freight traffic and 50-60% of all passenger traffic. The railway transport network consists of 5512 km of railway track. The railway has 21 stations and about 300 stations. The country's railway is in contact with railways Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

Highways

The state's roads are among the best in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Reconstructions and construction of new roads are constantly taking place. They are involved in the construction of roads. In total, the length of roads in Belarus is about 83,000 kilometers. Toll roads extend over a distance of 1,200 kilometers. Highways connecting Russia and the EU and Ukraine with the Baltic countries pass through the country.

Air transport

The country has an area of ​​207,600 square kilometers, so intrastate transportation is very rare and mainly delivers critical cargo between cities by air. However, there are 67 runways and 7 international airports in the country. The largest airport is Minsk (2.6 million passengers per year) and Minsk-1.

In general, the transport system of Belarus is very developed and traveling from one point of the country to another does not seem difficult. Updated trains, high-quality roads and a developed network that reaches the most extreme corners of the country allow the development of all types of commerce in any locality without logistics problems.

The Republic of Belarus is one of the most developed countries in the post-Soviet space. Yes, perhaps the funds received by the government are not particularly in beautiful ways, but this loses its meaning as soon as you realize that the country lives by European standards.

A neighboring country, for example, Ukraine, despite its 100 times better potential, cannot boast of even 5 of the innovations and updates that Belarus has. The President may not have been replaced for 20 years, but apparently he is taking the necessary and effective steps in politics.

The only thing worth changing in the country is exports. Excellent and soft conditions on the part of Russia do not allow competitive goods from Belarus to enter other markets in large volumes. There is a hunger for Belarusian goods in the EU and other countries, which Belarusian producers will not be able to alleviate yet.

Stay up to date with all the important events of United Traders - subscribe to our

Agriculture occupies an important place in the structure national economy and is designed to perform three important tasks:

1) provide the population of the country with high-quality food, i.e. be a guarantor of food security;

2) supply the food and light industry with sufficient quantities of necessary raw materials;

3) maintain attractive landscapes as living space, areas for people to settle, create recreation areas, and areas for the development of agritourism.

In the structure of gross agricultural output, the share of livestock farming, which in previous stages developed largely on imported feed and had higher marketability, has noticeably decreased, but the share of crop production has increased (all categories of farms). However, in personal subsidiary farms of the population and peasant (farm) farms, the share of crop production in 2003. reached 74.2%, while in agricultural organizations - only 44.3%. Thus, we can conclude that agriculture in personal subsidiary plots and peasant (farm) farms has a crop-growing direction, and in agricultural organizations it has a livestock-breeding direction. It is predicted that by 2010. Livestock farming will produce 55.0%, and crop farming – 45.0% of gross agricultural output (all categories of farms).

Plant growing. Belarus has significant opportunities to increase the gross yield of grain and industrial crops, potatoes and vegetables, as well as feed for livestock. The main source of growth is increased productivity based on intensified production. Sufficient soil moisture ensures high utilization efficiency in Belarus. mineral fertilizers in combination with organic ones. The transition to intensive production on the most fertile soils would allow, with a reduction in sown areas, to increase productivity by 2.5 - 3 times, and reduce fuel costs and the need for equipment by 1.5 - 2 times. Strict adherence to soil treatment technology is necessary. In this regard, accelerated development requires research in the field of adaptive landscape agriculture. It is in this direction that there are large reserves for increasing the productivity of agricultural land, preserving soil fertility, and significant savings in mineral fertilizers and protective equipment.
For cereal grains, the task is to develop varieties and hybrids with a potential yield of 100 - 120 c/ha, including malting barley that meets the requirements of brewing standards with a protein content of no more than 10.5% - a yield of 70 - 75 c/ha; corn for grain - 100 c/ha, potatoes - 350 - 400 c/ha, sugar beets - 500 - 600 c/ha and grain legumes 50 - 60 c/ha.

The shortage of grain can be overcome by increasing its production by improving the structure of the grain wedge, increasing the production of feed grain, preparing balanced feed, and wider use of rye in the preparation of feed.
Animal husbandry. The industry provides the bulk commercial products in agricultural enterprises of the Republic of Belarus.

Despite the fact that the territory of Belarus belongs to one natural area, within the republic there are significant differences between its individual regions, and even more so between farms. Territorial differences in socio-economic and natural conditions regions determine areas of agricultural specialization:

1. The dairy-meat-flax-growing zone covers only 47 districts. This zone accounts for approximately 40% of the total area of ​​agricultural land and arable land. In this zone, dairy and beef cattle breeding is combined with pork production.

2. Zone of dairy and beef cattle breeding, pig farming with developed flax growing. It accounts for approximately 20% of the republic's agricultural land and arable land. The average score for arable land is 37, and for agricultural land - 33. Here, due to the significant concentration of potato crops, there are quite favorable conditions for the development of pig farming.

3. The zone of meat and dairy farming and beet growing unites 16 administrative districts. All areas of this zone are located in the raw material areas of sugar factories. It occupies about 14% of arable land with high natural soil fertility (42 points) and the same amount of agricultural land (39 points). In this zone, the production of cheap beef based on the use of beet pulp can develop.

4. The meat and dairy cattle breeding zone covers 22 districts of the Polesie part of the republic. It differs from other zones in its high supply of natural feeding grounds. The average score for agricultural land is 26, and arable land is 52. Pig farming is developing here as an additional industry.

5. The fifth (suburban) dairy-vegetable-potato zone is concentrated around regional and large industrial centers Belarus. It includes 8 administrative districts. The arable land area here reaches 70%, and the soils have fairly high natural fertility (the average score of arable land is 41). In this zone, in the future, it is possible to deepen the specialization of farms for the development of dairy cattle breeding, vegetable growing, growing early varieties of potatoes, berries and the development of industrial poultry farming.

Intense and comprehensive work is being carried out in the agro-industrial complex of Belarus to implement the State Program for the Revival and Development of Rural Development for 2005–2010.

The main goals of the Program are the revival and development of rural areas based on strengthening the agrarian economy, increasing the incomes of the rural population, the level of social, living and engineering infrastructure in rural areas. settlements, preservation and improvement of the environment in them and the rational use of government and other investments.

The goals set are comprehensive and can be achieved subject to the simultaneous implementation of two priority areas, which include:

1. Sustainable socio-economic development of rural areas, promoting the formation necessary conditions for the livelihood of the population, making the rural way of life and work attractive, and achieving established social standards.

2. Formation of micro- and macroeconomic systems management in market conditions that ensure development and consistent increase in agricultural efficiency industrial production.

The solution to the envisaged tasks of increasing the efficiency of agricultural production and the integrated development of rural areas can be successfully implemented only on the basis of a high level of scientific support and support carried out in agro-industrial complex socio-economic processes.

The most important direction of agricultural development should be the intensification of production based on the modernization of the production and technical base and the introduction of scientific and technological progress. Systematic and comprehensive re-equipment of the industry with high-performance machines and units of the new generation will ensure a significant increase in labor productivity and savings in material resources.

The Republic of Belarus is an export-oriented state with developed industry, service sector and agriculture. Belarus adheres to the model of a socially oriented market economy, which has proven its consistency and effectiveness.

In general, during 2010-2018, the republic’s GDP increased in comparable prices by 17.5%, with labor productivity growing by 26.8% over the specified period.

Gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity in the republic increased from 16.9 thousand US dollars in 2010 to 19.8 thousand US dollars in 2018.

According to the 2018 Human Development Report prepared by the UNDP, Belarus according to the composite index human development took 53rd place in the annual global ranking and entered the group of countries with a very high level of human development.

MAIN SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Data in Belarusian rubles are given in actual prices, from 2016 - on the price scale effective from July 1, 2016 (decrease by 10,000 times).

MAIN INDUSTRIES OF THE ECONOMY OF BELARUS

The main sectors of the Belarusian economy include industry, agriculture, construction, trade, transport activities, information and communication.

Industry

Despite the limitations of its own fuel and energy resources and the most important types of raw materials, as well as the external economic shocks of recent years, Belarus has retained its industrial potential.

Industrial development largely determines the main economic trends in our country. A quarter of the gross domestic product is produced here, about 37% of all fixed assets of the republic are concentrated, 23.7% of the republic works. total number employed in the economy.

The basis of the republic's industrial production is the manufacturing industry. Its share in 2018 accounted for 88.6% of total production volume.

The leading branches of the manufacturing industry are the food industry (25.7%), production of petroleum products (17.6%), mechanical engineering (16.2%), chemical production (10,5%).

Structure of the manufacturing industry by type of economic activity (2018):

Production of food, beverages and tobacco products
Production of textiles, clothing, leather and fur products
Production of wood and paper products; printing activities and replication of recorded media
Production of coke and petroleum products
Production chemical products
Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceuticals
Production of rubber and plastic products, other non-metallic mineral products
Metallurgical production. Production of finished metal products except machinery and equipment
Production of computing, electronic and optical equipment
Electrical equipment production
Production of machinery and equipment not included in other categories
Production of vehicles and equipment
Production of other finished products; repair, installation of machinery and equipment

The Republic of Belarus is a regional leader in the production of tractors; about 80% of the total production volume of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union is produced in the country. Our country is also a major manufacturer of agricultural machinery - combines, various types of forage harvesting equipment and units.

The share of potash fertilizer production is about 16% or a sixth of world production.

KEY GROUPS OF BELARUSIAN GOODS

Trucks, loaders, mining dump trucks

Tractors, grain and forage harvesters

Refrigerators, microwave ovens, electric and gas stoves

Fertilizers

Flax fiber

Chemical fibers and threads

Meat products

Dairy products

Mechanical engineering

The republic's mechanical engineering includes the production of electrical equipment, machinery and equipment, computing, electronic and optical equipment, as well as vehicles and equipment. It accounts for more than 16% of the republic's manufacturing industry.

Vehicle production

Belarus specializes in the production of trucks, buses, and mining dump trucks. Key enterprises are OJSC "Minsk Automobile Plant" - management company holding "BELAVTOMAZ" and OJSC "BELAZ" - management company "BELAZ-HOLDING" (Zhodino). OJSC BELAZ occupies a third of the world market of heavy-duty mining dump trucks and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of mining equipment.

The leading Belarusian manufacturer of grain and forage harvesters, known under the PALESSE brand, is the Gomselmash holding. The company has a wide export geography - the CIS countries, the European Union, China, Latin America, as well as a developed distribution network, a number of joint ventures and assembly plants.

Production passenger cars is a rapidly developing area of ​​the automotive industry in Belarus.

Today, the main manufacturer of passenger cars in the republic is the plant full cycle SJSC "BelGee" production capacity The production of cars is up to 60 thousand cars per year.

Electrical equipment production

The electrical industry includes industry enterprises that produce various products: electrical transformers, cable and wire products, electric motors, equipment for receiving, metering and distributing electrical energy.

The Minsk Electrotechnical Plant named after Kozlov holding company produces world-class electrical equipment.

Thanks to the constant modernization of production and advanced training of personnel, the plant has become the largest manufacturer of electrical transformers and has earned recognition in the domestic and international markets. Now the company supplies products to 16 countries around the world and rightfully occupies one of the leading positions in its industry.

JSC "Belaruskabel" is modern enterprise, producing cable and conductor products. The scope of application of manufactured products covers such industries as radio electronics, aviation technology, instrument making, construction, communications, telecommunications and electrical engineering, gas and oil refining industries.

OJSC "Brest Radio Engineering Plant" produces floor switchboards for receiving, metering and distribution of electrical energy, personal computers, electric heating devices, components for manufacturers of electric and gas stoves.

OJSC Brest Electromechanical Plant serially produces electrical energy metering devices for single- and three-phase networks.

Production of computing, electronic and optical equipment

A large diversified enterprise - the BelOMO holding - specializes in the field of laser, optical-electronic and optical-mechanical devices and systems.

OJSC Minsk Mechanical Plant named after S.I. Vavilova, the management company of the BelOMO holding, has great production potential. Sights, binoculars, night vision devices and much more are produced here. BelOMO's innovative project is the production of domestic thermal imagers.

OJSC "Gomel Plant" measuring instruments» is one of the leading enterprises in the instrument-making industry of the Republic of Belarus, which specializes in the production of analytical instruments intended for control and regulation technological processes and monitoring environment, as well as electrode systems for potentiometric measurements.

Another enterprise in the instrument-making industry, JSC Plant Evistor, specializes in the supply of components (electric mechanisms, electromagnets, electric drives, windshield wipers, variators, converters) for agricultural engineering enterprises.

Production of petroleum products, chemical production and production of rubber and plastic products

The oil refining industry of Belarus is represented by JSC Naftan (Novopolotsk) and JSC Mozyr Oil Refinery. These are modern complexes for the production of petroleum products high quality, which are supplied to the countries of the European Union, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and other CIS countries.

The largest enterprises in Belarus that export mineral fertilizers are OJSC Belarusian Potash Company, OJSC Gomel Chemical Plant, OJSC Belaruskali and OJSC Grodno Azot.

OJSC Belaruskali is one of the world's leading producers of potash fertilizers. Over 90% of its products are exported to South and North America, Southeast Asia, Europe (more than 100 countries, including India and China).

OJSC Belshina is one of the largest enterprises in Europe producing tires.

Metallurgical complex

The metallurgical complex of the republic includes about 20 large and medium-sized metallurgical production organizations producing steel pipes, metal cord, various types of wire, and more than 60 organizations producing finished metal products - prefabricated building metal structures, various types of metal tools, reservoirs, cisterns, tanks, boilers, fasteners and others.

The largest producer of steel and steel products is the Belarusian Metallurgical Company holding.

The holding includes: OJSC "Belarusian Metallurgical Plant" - the management company of the holding "Belarusian Metallurgical Company" (Zhlobin), OJSC "Legmash Plant", OJSC "Polesieelectromash", OJSC "Kobrinsky" tool factory"SITOMO" PUP "Grodnovtorchermet", PUP "Mogilevvtorchermet", OJSC "BELNIILIT", SUP "Zhlobinmetallurgstroy", OJSC "Zhlobinsky quarry of molding materials", SUP "Paporotnoye", TPUP "Metallurgtorg", PUP "Tsvetmet", TUP "Metallurgtrans", PTUP " Service center"BMZ".

Energy

The fuel and energy complex (FEC) of Belarus includes systems for the extraction, transportation, storage and production of all types of energy resources. About 85% of the energy resources used in the country's economy are imported. The core of the fuel and energy complex is the electric power industry. This is one of the leading sectors of the economy as a whole; the traditionally high level of technical and engineering potential of Belarus is concentrated here. Gas supply and gas transportation across the territory of Belarus is provided by OJSC Gazpromtransgaz Belarus.

In the future, a significant part of the fuel and energy complex in Belarus will be occupied by nuclear energy. In 2008, it was decided to build the country’s own nuclear power plant with a capacity of up to 2000 MW, which will reduce the cost of electricity produced by up to 20%.

Production of food, beverages and tobacco products

Today, food production in the republic is a modern, dynamically developing industry, whose enterprises produce more than a quarter of manufacturing products, which fully ensures the country’s food security. Thanks to large-scale modernization and the introduction of modern production technologies, industry enterprises produce high-quality products that are in stable demand in the domestic market and abroad.

The main areas of industry development are the production of dairy products, meat and meat products (more than 50% of the production volume of food, drinks and tobacco products). In addition, the republic produces sugar and confectionery, processing and canning of fish and fish products, fruits and vegetables.

The largest enterprises producing food and beverages are JSC "Savushkin Product", Belarusian-German JV "Santa-Bremor" LLC, JSC "Slutsk Cheese-Making Plant", JSC "Babushkina Krynka" - the management company of the holding company "Mogilev Dairy Company "Babushkina Krynka" ", Volkovysk OJSC "BELLAKT", RPTUP "Milk Hotel", JV OJSC "Spartak", SOJSC "Kommunarka", OJSC "Brest Meat Processing Plant", OJSC "Berezovsky Cheese-Making Plant", OJSC "Milkavita", OJSC "Volkovysk Meat Processing Plant", OJSC "Molochny Mir", OJSC "Grodno Meat Processing Plant", OJSC "Minsk Meat Processing Plant".

Agriculture

The share of agricultural production is about 6-7% of GDP. At the same time, more than 8% of the total number of people employed in the country’s economy work in the agricultural sector.

Belarus is almost completely self-sufficient in food: imports account for less than 10% of total consumption.

In addition, 21.2% of the world's flax crops are concentrated in the country. Among the 22 leading flax fiber producers, Belarus is in the top five.

Agricultural production per capita in the republic corresponds to the level of developed countries and in many areas (production of potatoes, sugar beets, meat, milk) exceeds the indicators achieved in the CIS countries.

In terms of milk production per capita, the Republic of Belarus occupies one of the leading positions in the world and is ahead of such countries as Russian Federation, Ukraine, Kazakhstan. Milk production per capita in the country reached 775 kilograms.

The Republic of Belarus accounts for 0.9% in global milk production.

Belarus is one of the 15 countries of the world's largest exporters of dairy products, and ranks seventh in the world ranking for butter, eighth for buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, thirteenth for milk and condensed and dry cream, and fifteenth for whey.

In terms of meat production in slaughter weight per capita (129 kilograms), our country, as well as in milk, is ahead of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. At the same time, per inhabitant of the Republic of Belarus, meat is produced twice as much as in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.

The share of the Republic of Belarus in global meat production is 0.4%.

We are among the 30 leading countries in meat exports, while we occupy seventeenth place in the world ranking for poultry meat, and eighteenth for beef.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in terms of gross harvest (in value terms) of flax fiber, Belarus is in 3rd place in the world, cranberries - in 7th, rye - in 5th, sugar beets, strawberries - in 15th place.

Transport and logistics

Belarus is the most important transport artery of the Eurasian space. Every year, over 100 million tons of European cargo passes through the country, about 90% of which is between the Russian Federation and the EU. At the same time, the republic fully ensures the efficiency and safety of transit. Transport services turn out to be railway, road, air, river and pipeline modes of transport.

Information and communication technologies

Information and communication technologies play a role the necessary tool development of the high-tech sector of the economy, creating conditions for the transition to a digital economy, improving the institutional and creating a favorable business environment.

In order to create favorable conditions to increase the competitiveness of economic sectors based on new and high technologies, improve conditions for development modern technologies and increasing their exports, attracting domestic and foreign investment in this area, the Park was created in Belarus high technology(HTP).

The first resident companies were registered in the Park in June 2006. Today, HTP is one of the leading innovative IT clusters in Central and Eastern Europe. The HTP has created a unique favorable environment for business development in the area information technology, which combines unparalleled tax benefits with highly trained talent for the IT industry.

Belarusian specialists participate in IT projects of any complexity, from system analysis, consulting, hardware selection to the design and development of complex systems.

Belarusian consumers software created by HTP residents are well-known global corporations such as Microsoft, HP, Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Google, Toyota, Citibank, MTV, Expedia, Reuters, Samsung, HTC, Mitsubishi, BritishPetroleum, BritishTelecom, London Stock Exchange, World Bank and others.

HTP resident companies are included in the list of the largest developers and suppliers of software “Software 500”, published by the influential publication of the global IT industry SoftwareMagazine, and successfully compete in the high-tech markets of North America and Western Europe.

With the development of information and communication technologies, the contribution of the production of goods and services related to ICT to the creation of added value is increasing. The share of gross value added of the ICT sector in the gross domestic product of the Republic of Belarus increased from 2.8% in 2011 to 5.6% in 2018.

Share of exports of computer services in total volume Exports of services of the Republic of Belarus have increased 3.7 times since 2011 and amounted to 18% in 2018 (15.3% in 2017). About 90% of Belarusian exports of computer services are provided by residents of the High Technology Park.

According to International Union telecommunications in the ranking published in 2017, the Republic of Belarus took 32nd place in the ranking out of 176 countries according to the information and communication technology development index.

According to the UN report “Electronic government. Review 2018: Electronic government as support for sustainable development” The Republic of Belarus took 38th place in the ranking according to the readiness index e-government out of 193 countries, moving up 11 positions compared to the 2016 ranking. She entered the top 40 for the first time.

In the republic, cellular mobile telecommunications networks cover 98.2% of the territory where 99.9% of the population lives. Underway active development fourth generation cellular mobile telecommunication networks.

As of January 1, 2019, the number of cellular mobile telecommunications subscribers amounted to 11.6 million.

78.4% of households had access to the Internet (the world average for this indicator is 53.6%).

Today in Belarus, 79% of the population aged 6–72 years uses Internet services, of which almost 80% use the Internet daily.

The Republic of Belarus was the first among the CIS countries to complete the full transition to digital broadcasting.

Foreign trade

The variety of manufactured products of the manufacturing industry determines the profile foreign trade country and provides the majority of foreign exchange earnings.

More than 60% of manufactured industrial products are exported, which is typical for countries with a highly developed and open economy.

Belarus maintains trade relations with almost all countries of the world. The main trading partners of the republic are the Russian Federation (according to 2018 data - 49.2% of the total trade turnover), Ukraine (7.6%), China (5%), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (4.7%) , Germany (4.6%), Poland (3.5%), Netherlands (2.4%), Lithuania (2.1%), Turkey (1.4%), Italy (1.3%), Kazakhstan (1.2%).

The country’s place and role in international market services. Compared to 2010, their exports increased by more than 1.8 times.

Significant growth was demonstrated by computer services, the export of which increased by more than 7 times compared to 2010. The volume of exports of this type of services in 2018 exceeded $1.5 billion, and the share in the total export volume increased from 4.5% to 18%.

The Republic of Belarus is one of the world leaders in the export of IT services per capita. The ranking of the Top 100 best outsourcing companies in the world 2017 includes six IT companies with Belarusian offices. Products such as Viber and World of Tanks brought fame to our country.

Banking system

The banking system of Belarus is a two-tier system accepted in international practice, consisting of a central bank - the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus and second-tier commercial banks.

The main goal of the National Bank is to maintain price stability, which means ensuring a consistently low level of inflation.

As of September 1, 2019, there are 27 banks and non-bank financial institutions operating in the territory of the Republic of Belarus that have the right to carry out banking operations.

In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated June 21, 2011 No. 261, OJSC Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus was created in order to develop the financing system government programs and socially significant investment projects, export lending.

The Republic of Belarus is an independent state in Eastern Europe, has no access to the sea, borders on countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia. Belarus was one of the very first to become an independent sovereign power in 1990 and finally left the economy former USSR in 1991. In the first years of independence, after the severance of all ties and the complete collapse of previous relations with other republics of the former Union, the economy of Belarus found itself in a very difficult state: the highest level of inflation, unemployment, lack of financing and cessation of supplies of raw materials, stoppage of production and chaos during all industries. One of the important factors that influenced its formation in new economic conditions, was the conclusion of an agreement between the two states of Russia and Belarus and the creation of a union state that united the material and intellectual potentials of the two states. This union gave impetus to further development economy of Belarus, and concluding contracts with Russian manufacturers contributed to an increase in the pace of development of industry and agriculture. Today, the Republic of Belarus is one of the most economically developed countries in the post-Soviet space and is characterized as a state with dependence on exports and imports from two countries, with an inflation rate at the end of 2014 of 16.2% (compared to inflation in 2002 - 35% and since 1995 - 117.5%).

Population

According to statistics, the population of the state of Belarus is 9.5 million people (5th place after the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan). In the post-war years of the last century until the 90s, the population increased steadily, although in the last twenty years of the twentieth century the rate decreased significantly and since 1993 the country has seen a trend of depopulation (mortality exceeds birth rate). In 2014, the population growth amounted to almost 7 thousand people, and natural decline- 1.5 thousand people, the flow of migrants from the CIS countries has increased significantly, so the rate of depopulation has decreased to some extent, and there is a slight increase in the number of residents of this state. The country's population is represented by 32 nationalities, of which most Belarusians (81%), mostly they compactly populate the Minsk and Grodno regions. The second largest number are representatives of the Russian diaspora, followed by the Poles. The female population is 53.5%, the male population is 46.5%, respectively. The number of urban residents (74.5%) exceeds the rural population several times (25.5%).

Industry of Belarus

The main pillars of the economic stability of any state are its industrial and agricultural potential. The republic's industry is on the rise and is developing rapidly; 17% of all combines in the world, 6% of tractors and 30% of dump trucks are produced in Belarus and exported to countries in Europe, America and Asia. The industrial sector occupies a significant part of the country's economy - 40%, and provides jobs to 29 percent of the country's total population. The leading sectors of Belarusian industry are:

Metallurgical. It is highly dependent on the supply of iron ore and non-ferrous metal ores from Russia (although there are deposits of iron ore in the country, they are practically not developed). The production of cast iron, steel smelting, and the production of non-ferrous metals is based on non-ferrous scrap waste imported from abroad, or is melted down for this purpose finished goods. The metallurgical complex consists of 17 plants related to ferrous metallurgy, 6 plants - to non-ferrous metallurgy. Steel and cast iron are produced at such enterprises as the Belarusian Metallurgical Plant (BMZ) in the city of Zhlobin (the largest metallurgical “giant” in all of Europe, producing 80% of all products in this industry), the Centrolit foundry in Gomel, and JSC Mogilev Metallurgical Plant. in Mogilev;

Mechanical engineering and metalworking. The main industries on which the entire economy of Belarus “rests”; they provide 40% of all industrial output. Mechanical engineering complex is the production of tractor and agricultural machinery, trolleybuses, MAZ and BelAZ trucks (Belarusian Automobile Plant in the city of Zhodino - largest producer quarry equipment all over the world, the only one of its kind in the entire post-Soviet space), various types machines, as well as a large number of product names manufactured at production sites more than 600 enterprises located mainly in Minsk, Vitebsk, Gomel and Lida.

Chemical and petrochemical. Leading industries: 75 enterprises operate in the country, 70% of their products are exported to other countries of the world; about 10% of all workers in Belarus work here. The largest enterprises in this industry are: OJSC GrodnoAzot in the city of Grodno, OJSC Gomel Chemical Plant in Gomel, OJSC Belaruskali in the city of Soligorsk, and the Belshina tire plant in the city of Bobruisk.

Food. Manufacturers of the Belarusian food industry position themselves as reliable suppliers of quality products, characterized by a pleasant natural taste, the absence of chemical additives and competitive prices. All these parameters have made the products of the food industry of Belarus incredibly attractive for countries that border it and not only, for example, the share of dairy and fermented milk products in this country accounts for 4% of all world supplies. Such Belarusian ones are very popular among buyers. trademarks“Babushkina Krynka” (Mogilev), as well as “Savushkin Product” (Brest).

Electric power industry. It is completely dependent on imported raw materials; gas and oil are imported from the territory of the Russian Federation; oil refineries are located in the cities of Mozyr and Novopolotsk in Belarus, which process mainly Russian raw materials. Electricity is generated by several thermal and hydroelectric power plants.

Woodworking. According to historical tradition, this industry is still an important part of the Belarusian economy. Wood harvesting is carried out throughout the country, matches are made in Pinsk, Borisov and Gomel, large cardboard and paper factories are located in Dobrush, Borisov, Slonim, Chashniki, a large pulp and cardboard enterprise operates in the city of Svetlogorsk, and a plant producing newsprint is located in Shklov.

Belarus has a fairly developed light industry; more than 500 enterprises operate on the territory of the republic, producing about five thousand types of commercial products, which are mainly export-oriented. The main enterprises in this industry: Orsha Flax Mill, Vitebsk Region, Orsha, Kamvol OJSC, Minsk, Gronitex in Grodno, Milavitsa OJSC in Minsk, Comintern OJSC in Gomel.

Agriculture of Belarus

The agricultural sector is sufficiently developed. Thanks to the presence of a huge livestock population and high crop yields, the country not only fully meets the food needs of its people, but is also one of the largest exporters of agricultural products to the CIS countries and the European Union. This industry national economy provides 8% of GDP, is constantly developing and expanding, due to financial injections from the government, which allocates various subsidies and strongly supports national producers of agricultural products. This sector of the Belarusian economy employs about 10% of the country’s total working population.

Belarusian crop production (share in the agricultural structure is 55%) is focused on growing crops that are traditional for this climatic zone, these are grains (wheat, barley, rye), root crops (1st place in potato production per capita in the CIS countries ), various forage crops. Crops of grain legumes and essential oil crops are expanding. A large amount of flax is grown here (16% of world crops and 20% of European crops), Belarus ranks second in the world in the number of areas where triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) is grown. Agricultural land accounts for 45% of the country's total land fund, arable land occupies 30%.

The country's livestock farming (share in the agricultural structure is 45%) brings about 60% of all profits in the agricultural sector of the economy and the production of livestock products (120 kg of meat and 700 liters of milk) per person takes leading place among all countries of the post-Soviet space. About 150 livestock complexes operate and develop on the territory of Belarus, which are mainly engaged in breeding large and small cattle, pigs and poultry. Cattle breeding is the leading branch of livestock farming, which is determined by a large number pastures, agricultural enterprises of this type are located everywhere. Pig farming is the second most important branch of livestock farming; there are about 100 pig breeding complexes in Belarus, where the production of pork for export has been transferred to an industrial basis. The country's poultry farming is characterized by intensive development methods; the Belptitseprom association concentrates more than 50% of the total poultry population.