Belarus: Construction Minister Anatol Chorny expects that Belarus will export 0.3 - 0.4Mt of cement to Ukraine in 2017 and to then increase cement exports to that country to 1Mt in 2018. Speaking in Minsk, Chorny was responding to ‘efforts’ by the Association of Cement Producers of Ukraine and certain high-ranking Ukrainian government officials that had earlier tried to ‘force’ Belarusian producers out of the Ukrainian market, by accusing them of providing false quality certificates. The dispute has since been settled.
Belarusian exports of building materials rose by 29% year-on-year between 1 January 2017 and 31 July 2017, noted Chorny, adding “We managed to reduce production costs and therefore the profitability of sales increased by 25-30%.”
