President discusses development of Belarus’ petrochemical industry on Naftan

The Head of State has visited Naftan today, the leading Belarusian oil refining enterprise. The quality of Belarusian oil products is highly valued in foreign markets.

Consumers from large wholesalers to amateur motorists and professional carriers have asked to increase the supply of diesel or gasoline. The quality level is priceless in the conditions of tough competition and trade wars, however, as practice shows, Belarusian producers often lack the rigidity and aggressiveness when entering new markets. Hence the President reminded at the meeting in Novopolotsk about the responsibility of the relevant vice-premiers for foreign economic policy and strategy.

A visit to the Vitebsk region is a good reason for a comprehensive look at the situation in the region. The task is to rely on the development of other industries: machine building, machine tool building, and the municipal sector, in order to get away from the dependence of the petrochemical complex. In general, a lot has been done in the region. The flax processing plant was reconstructed, the shoe industry shows good dynamics. But the meat processing industry needs to increase the volume of raw materials and reduce costs. As for attracting investments, the indicators are lower by half compared with other areas. As before, the key task for the region remains to create the necessary conditions for raising the living standards of people and increasing wages.

In general, the performance of the region could be higher if Naftan worked more profitably. The region seriously depends on this enterprise. In April, both Belarusian refineries were forced to reduce the load and suffered losses due to the delivery of dirty oil from Russia to Belarus. Now it is time to address the issues of compensation for damage.

Today, Naftan employs more than 10 thousand people. And the plant does not even think to remove the social burden.

Petrochemicals are not only labor collectives and export, but also an innovation cluster. Here new technologies and materials are being formed for a wide pool of subcontractors - from construction to perfumery. Hence the close attention of the President to the industry and the assessment of significance for real sovereignty.

Another issue today is the strategy of petrochemistry. The industry is under pressure from electric cars and urban electric vehicles. Gasoline engines are used less and less often. The Presidential instruction is to develop a clear vision of the future of the industry. Plans and strategies are likely to be appreciated in Mozyr. The Head of State promised to visit the city before the end of the year.

During the trip, the President talked with the workers of Naftan. They touched on the topic of privatization. The basis of any production and state is a man. And protecting the interests of the Belarusians is a matter of principle for the guarantor of their rights, the President. Factory workers want to be sure that the fruits of their collective labor will not be distributed for a pittance. And the leader gives such a guarantee personally.

According to the Head of State, the enterprise is on the list of untouchables. Strategic production locomotives of regional economies will no be sold to anyone: their real value for the country is too great.