Import substitution saves over $44m for Minsk Oblast in H1 2013

     In H1 2013 the equivalent of $44.4 million in foreign currency was saved thanks to deliveries of import substitutes to the home market in Minsk Oblast.
      In January-June 2013 Minsk Oblast enterprises turned out $202 million worth of import-substituting merchandise, 18.6% up from the same period of last year. As much as $78.3 million worth of the merchandise was exported, twice as much as in January-June 2012.
      In H1 2013 as many as 64 kinds of import substitutes were manufactured out of the 74 kinds planned for the year. The production of ten new commodities is supposed to start in H2 2013. Of the total number of import substitutes 19 ones are products, which are manufactured in Belarus but in insufficient amounts, or products, which consumer qualities are greatly inferior to imports. Thirty-nine products are products, which are supposed to be manufactured or which manufacturing is being started as part of nationwide, industry-wide programs, plans of individual government agencies. 
     In H1 2013 eight new products were added to the first group. Those included medications, refrigerated display cases and shelves, antibiotics, antimicrobials, mixtures used to make bakery products, flanged sediment protection filters, non-return valves, parquet flooring, and plastic bags.