Companies featured at the Belarusian exposition at the Yummex Middle East and Specialty Food Festival in Dubai have signed a number of export agreements and contracts during a business program held on the sidelines of the exhibitions, BelTA learned from the BelInterExpo enterprise of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BelCCI).

The Belarusian exposition featured the companies affiliated with the Belgospischeprom food industry concern: Kommunarka, Krasny Pischevik, Slodych and Spartak confectioneries, as well as Minsk Margarine Plant and the Babushkina Krynka dairy company.

The Belarusian delegation held negotiations at the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to discuss cooperation within the framework of the Food Tech Valley project. The Belarusian delegation also toured the IQ Fulfillment company that provides services to SMEs, incubators, accelerators, and e-commerce players, and discussed a possibility of using the company's intelligent logistics centers by Belarusian companies who seek to supply their products to the Gulf countries.

“A presentation of the Belgospischeprom concern was held at the Belarusian Pavilion within the framework of EXPO 2020. About 20 trading companies and business unions from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Armenia, Tajikistan and other countries attended the presentation,” the exhibition company said. The attendees included Secretary General of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce & Industry Humaid Mohamed Ben Salem, Belarus' Ambassador to the UAE Andrei Luchenok and Honorary Consul of Belarus in Dubai Yevgeny Lazarev.

Source: BelTA

The epidemiological situation in Belarus makes it possible for some hospital units to resume their routine operations, the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry posted on its official Telegram channel.

All national scientific and practical centers and some hospitals in the regions and Minsk continue to provide planned care.

Units and even entire hospitals in Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev oblasts and Minsk are being cleaned and returned to their usual mode of operation.

“The coronavirus infection is an acute respiratory viral infection. Vaccination is the only effective way to prevent the disease and its severe course. We ask citizens to get vaccinated against COVID-19! In Belarus, it is possible to get vaccinated in almost all the clinics, hospitals, shopping centers and even in the metro,” the ministry said.

Source: BelTA

The consignment of the Chinese coronavirus vaccine has already been delivered to the Belpharmatsiya and Beltamozhservice warehouses, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry.

Last night a military transport aircraft Il-76MD with the Chinese cargo on board landed on the Belarusian airfield in Machulishchi. The aircraft delivered the Chinese vaccine SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated by Sinopharm. The total route was 13,600km.

“The Belarusian pilots were met by chief doctor of the National Medical Response Center of the Healthcare Ministry Dmitry Alkhovik, and representatives of Belpharmatsiya Company. Commander of the 50th Mixed Air Force Base of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of the Republic of Belarus, Colonel Andrei Lukyanovich was also welcomed on the ground by representatives of the BRSM Youth Union. They presented flowers to the crew and expressed their gratitude for the assistance provided by pilots to healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the ministry said.

A total of 1.5 million doses of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated by Sinopharm arrived in Belarus - this amount was purchased by the Healthcare Ministry of Belarus. China also donated 500,000 doses of vaccine and 500,000 syringes to Belarus. The Healthcare Ministry of Belarus was actively assisted in this matter by representatives of foreign ministries and embassies of the two countries. Specialists of the Emergencies Ministry of Belarus received and accompanied the cargo, while the ministry's cadets unloaded the plane of the Defense Ministry upon arrival.

“It is planned that the vaccine will be distributed among the regions and Minsk after it passes the quality control of the National Scientific and Practical Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, and the syringes receive registration of the Center for Examinations and Tests in Healthcare,” the Healthcare Ministry said.

Source: BelTA

This year Belarus' harvest will exceed 9 million tonnes of grain, Belarusian Agriculture and Food Minister Ivan Krupko told the media on the sidelines of the international wholesale exhibition Prodexpo 2021 on 9 November, BelTA has learned.

“We will get over 9 million tonnes of cereals, maize and colza. We have already secured a government order for 1 million tonnes. The country will have enough food grain for its needs. There will also be enough grass fodder and fodder grain for domestic livestock breeding to secure the implementation of the tasks set for 2022 to increase production of milk, beef, pork and poultry,” said Ivan Krupko.

The minister also touched upon Belarus' food exports. According to him, the task is to reach $7 billion by 2025. “This year the Russian market accounts for more than 70% of Belarus' food sales. It remains a premium market as a strategic partner, but its share in our supplies is gradually decreasing. We continue diversifying our food exports. Supplies are gradually increasing to the CIS countries, the EU, Africa, and China. We are registering an increase of our supplies to all markets,” he said.

Source: BelTA

Since it was connected to the power grid in November 2020, the first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant has generated 4.6 billion kWh of electricity, Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich said on the air of the Belarus 1 TV channel , BelTA has learned.

"All in all, the unit has generated 4.6 billion kWh of electricity. This made it possible to replace about 1.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Every day, the nuclear power plant produces 28 million kWh of electricity, or about 25% of the total electricity produced in the country,” Viktor Karankevich said. “With the second unit up and running, the plant will produce will about 18.5 billion kWh per year with a service life of 60 years with the possibility of extending it to 100 years, taking into account the existing practice of extending the operation of nuclear plants."

The minister recalled that the second unit will be put into commercial operation in 2022. "By the end of this year, we will start the so-called physical launch, will load fresh nuclear fuel into the reactor core at the second unit," he said.

Viktor Karankevich added that today there are 445 units of nuclear power plants in the world. "51 units are under construction. The IAEA now expects world nuclear generating capacity to double by 2050 to 12% from the current 6%," the minister said.

Source: BelTA