Minsk Region
Minsk region is situated in Belarus heartland, stretching from south to
north by 315 km, and from east to west by 240 km. The region, including the
city of Minsk, occupies an area of 40.8 thousand sq.km (approx. 20% of
Belarus territory). It has mineral resources: potash salt and rock salt,
peat, iron ore, shale oils, clays, sapropels, mineral waters, sand-gravel
materials, building sand. There are many lakes and streams. Largest rivers
are: the Berezina, the Neman, the Vilia. The largest lake is the Naroch
having an area of 80 sq.km and a max. depth of 24.8m Woods cover 37% of the
region's territory. Forestry assets cover an area of 1703.7 thousand
hectares. The total wood stock capacity is estimated at 268.6 million cum.
Administrative-territorial entities include 6 cities and 28 regions. Largest
cities are: Borisov, Zhodino, Molodechno, Slutsk, Soligorsk.
Population is 1.5 million of which 53% are city residents. Population is
multinational, Minsk region is populated by Byelorussians, Russians, Poles,
Ukrainians. The number of economically active population is 633.9 thousand
(42%).
The region has an extensive transport system featuring 27.8 thousand
kilometers of roads, including 13.7 thousand kilometers of blacktops.
Industrial production of Minsk region accounts for 15% of the country's
gross production. Currently operating the real sector are 388 large and
medium enterprises whose core business personnel numbers 123.4 thousand; as
well as over three thousand ancillary and small business enterprises.
Leading positions in the structure of the regions' industrial production are
occupied by piano manufacturing ("Minsk" brand), fertilizers, textile and
food products, such as refined sugar, pasta, meat and meat delicatessen,
butter. Every 1 in 6 trucks and every 1 in 8 metal cutting lathes produced
in the republic come from the Minsk region.
Priority industries are chemicals and petrochemicals (33.3%); machine
building and metalworking (20.5%); food (24.2%); forestry, woodcutting,
paper & pulp (6.1%); consumer goods industry (5.7%); and building materials
industries (2.2%).
Consumer goods account for 40% in the structure of the region's industrial
production; the region's share in the country's total consumer goods
production is 15.3%.
Geographically the bulk of real sector is based in the region's five cities
(70%): Soligorsk, Zhodino, Zhodino, Molodechno, Borisov, Slutsk, with
priority industries being chemicals and petrochemicals, machine building and
metalworking, consumer goods and food industry.
Primary products of the machine building industry are heavy dump trucks,
electric starters for automobile and agricultural engines, electric
generators, pumps, compressors, machine tools, parts and components to
farming machinery, metalwork.
Forestry, woodcutting and paper & pulp enterprises produce sawn timber, wood
wool building slabs, plywood, furniture, paper, matches.
A significant part of the production output is accounted for by food
industry. Its primary produce includes refined sugar, bakery and pasta,
dairy and meat products, vegetables and fruit.
Consumer goods industry is represented by the production of chrome-tanned
leathers, flex-fiber, knitted underwear and outwear, apparel, felt footwear.
Building industry enterprises produce a wide range of building materials and
products, including sand-lime and ceramic brick, reinforced concrete
products, foam concrete blocks, roofing tile, joinery, powder mixes, non-ore
materials, etc.
Farming occupies one fifth of the country's total arable lands, of which 21%
account for plough land. Number of workers engaged in the region's farming
industry is 22% of the total number of farmers in the republic.
Annual output of the Minsk region farming industry is 22% of the country's
gross produce, and as far as sales of the produce is concerned the region's
share is even higher: one fourth. Some 524 agricultural enterprises and 521
farms are engaged in the farming industry. The region specializes in beef
and dairy husbandry, grain production, potatoes and beetroots growing.
Creation of a favorable investment climate is a top priority in the economic
development of Minsk region. An active proponent of changes in investment
environment, local administration supports projects with foreign investors
participation in various sectors of the economy. Compared to other regions
of the republic, Minsk region has registered a great number of ventures with
foreign capital – 388, and about 70% of these are production operations. The
majority of enterprises with foreign capital are engaged in food industry,
woodcutting, chemicals rubber and plastic production, trade and transport
industry.
Most of the foreign partners are from Germany, Cyprus, Lithuania, Poland,
Russia and USA. Organizations with foreign capital account for 5% of the
gross industrial product.
New opportunities for strengthening of the region's economic potential and
raising of additional financial resources, including for the development of
MSE business, have been opened up with the signing of the agreement between
Minsk regional administration and joint Byelorussian-Russian OJSC
Belgasprombank, a bank in Belarus authorized by EBRD, about joint activity
in raising investments.
A subject of the regional administration's special concern is the
development and technological upgrade of processing industry enterprises
which are mostly communal property. These are meat and dairy, textile and
building enterprises. Currently Minsk region has real opportunities to
attract investments for upgrade and modernization of Minsk regional unitary
enterprise ("MRUE") Slutsk Vinegar Factory, OJSC Volozhiski Cheese and
Butter Factory, OJSC Logoisk Butter Factory, MRUE Starobin Woodcutting
Plant, MRUE Luban Dressmaking Factory.
In order to raise more investments auctions are held in pursuance of the
regional administration decision to dispose of unutilized or ineffectively
utilized real assets.
Investment potential of the region is enhanced by the presence of unique
architectural monuments in this area. Picturesque environs, architectural
monuments dated back to 16th – 18th centuries and exquisite landscaping –
all contribute to distinctiveness of the town of Nesvizh as a unique tourist
attraction making it potentially a largest center of tourism in the
republic. Historic and cultural value of Nesvizh land has served as a
business case for a proposed investment project to create Mir-Sviazh
cultural and tourist zone based on local palace and castle complexes, that
calls for creation of a tourist zone infrastructure and regeneration of the
historic buildings in the town of Nesvizh, as well as restoration of garden
and castle ensembles.
Reserve investment instruments may include auctioning, privatization and
restructuring, selling stock to foreign investors or their placement in
trust management to minimize commercial risks.
Contact information:
Minsk regional administration
4, Engels str., Minsk, 220030
Tel. (375 17) 227 0307
Fax: (375 17) 227 2415
ves_minsk@tut.by
www.main.minsk.by
