Belarus can provide financial support to Ukrainian agricultural machinery producers

On Tuesday Chairman of the Ukrainian part of the intergovernmental Ukrainian-Belarusian commission on trade-economic cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Hennadii Zubko made a working trip to the Republic of Belarus.

The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine met with Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov, as well as Chairman of the Belarusian part of the Commission, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko.

"We agreed to hold a meeting of the intergovernmental Commission in June-July of 2015", informed Hennadii Zubko on the outcomes of the meetings.

The parties discussed cooperation in manufacturing of agricultural machinery in Ukraine. "We have an opportunity to localize the production of agricultural machinery and reach the manufacture of components for the Belarusian harvesters up to 30%, respectively creating additional jobs," explained Hennadii Zubko. According to him, the Belarusian side expressed readiness to provide financing programs for payment of interest, or leasing such machinery.

Hennadii Zubko inspected the production facilities of JSC "MAZ" and held a meeting with the leadership of the company, which declared its commitment either to deliver their trucks to Ukraine, and also possible production in Ukraine with the creation of workplaces and the involvement of Ukrainian enterprises producing automobile parts (in 2014 JSC "MAZ" purchased from Ukraine spare parts for vehicles worth USD 28 million).

Moreover, Hennadii Zubko added that they had also discussed collaboration in energy, energy efficiency, applying the experience of Belarus in the modernization of boilers, insulation of houses and creation of programs for the production of raw materials to be used in alternative energy.