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put together the fourth train is already in progress. Plans have been made to start sending trains with Belarusian agricultural products to Chongqing every week. According to the source, the Belarusian delegation also met with representatives of the Chongqing city administration. A contract was signed on selling dairy products to the Chinese-Belarusian company Sinoby Agriculture in 2019.
Belarus' exports to Latvia rose more than 1.5 times in January-September 2018 over the same period 2017 , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus to Latvia Vasily Markovich told BelTA. According to the head of the diplomatic mission, Belarus' exports to Latvia amounted to $390.8mn (up by 54.2%) in January-September. “Without petroleum products, bitumen, nitrogen and potash fertilizers, petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons, the trade increased by $163.1mn to $332.1mn,” Vasily Markovich informed. During this period Belarus' export of hot-rolled bars from unalloyed steel to Latvia rose 23 times, that of Belarusian tractors and truck tractors 16.2 times. Export of watches surged 5.8 times, deliveries of cement nearly 4 time. Belarus increased the export of products made of cement, concrete or artificial stone 3.8 times, antiknock compound and antioxidants 3.3 times. “Belarus has stepped up deliveries of paints and lacquers, fuel wood, plastic containers, metal structures made from non-ferrous metals, timber products, furniture and other goods. This shows that the demand for Belarusian goods in Latvia has been growing. So is the interest of the two countries in economic cooperation,” the Ambassador said. However, the exports of petroleum products, fertilizer, polyamides, cars and insulated wires have decreased during this period. Latvia is an important trading partner and investor in Belarus, and is a major transit corridor for Belarusian exports to third countries, the Ambassador said. This is evidenced by the bilateral trade figures. Thus, in January-September 2018 it reached the mark of $465.2mn, which already exceeds the trade for the entire 2017. In January-September this year Belarus had a surplus of $316.4mn. During the period under review imports from Latvia reached $74.4mn.
Belarus almost doubled its exports to Sweden in January-September 2018 , according to the Belarusian embassy in Sweden. “Since the start of the year the mutual trade has risen by 28%. Belarus' export has demonstrated an 87.3% increase in goods and 30.6% in services. Swedish direct investment has soared 35.2%,” Belarusian Ambassador Dmitry Mironchik said. In January-September 2018 Belarus exports to Sweden surged by a record high of 87.3% as against the same period a year earlier to total $39.7mn. Imports from Sweden rose by 12% during the period under review and amounted to $87.7mn. In January-September 2018 net direct investments from Sweden in the Belarusian economy total $9.3mn, which was 35.2% more than in the same period a year prior. The total volume of Swedish investment (taking into account the portfolio investments, loans) amounted to $34.4mn as against $28.7mn a year earlier.
Belarus hopes to earn $5bn from agricultural exports this year, Belarusian Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Igor Brylo said reports BelTA on November 14. Belarus has already earned about $3.8bn from agricultural exports in January-September 2018, or 103.5% of last year’s exports over the same period of last year. The export of dairy products earned about $1.5bn in the first nine months of this year, with meat products netting roughly $800mn. “We intend to surpass last year's level,” the minister said. Belarusian agricultural products were shipped to 81 countries in 2017. Now Belarus
17 BELARUS Country Report December 2018 www.intellinews.com