The industrial complex is the backbone of
the production potential of Belarus. Due to attractive geographical location and
highly-developed scientific and technical potential, Belarus, being part of the
former USSR, was the so-called "assembly plant" of the Soviet Union and
specialized in science-intensive production. This has mainly predetermined the
current structure of industry, which is oriented at the production of ready-made
items and is based on imports of raw material, fuel and energy resources.
The leading sectors of Belarusian
industry are:
machine building and metalworking:
- automobile industry
- trucks and lorries building
instruments making and electrical engineering industry
- radio engineering
industry
- tractors and agricultural machines building
machine-tool building
chemical and petrochemical industry
wood and wood processing industry
optico-mechanical industry
light and food industry
About 100 major plants form the core of
Belarusian industry.
Among them are the Minsk Tractor Plant, the Minsk
Automobile Plant, the "Atlant" freezer and refrigerator plant, the "Horizont"
TV-set plant, Oil-refineries in Novopolotsk and Mozyr, "Belaruskaliy" - the
biggest producer of potassium fertilizers in the world.
Agro-industrial complex of Belarus is specializing in animal farming (milk and meat
products), growing of flax, potato, grain and vegetable crops, sugar beet, rapes
and fodder crops. The
agro-industrial complex is oriented at the creation of multi-structural
agriculture, combining different types of property and management: collective
state-owned farms with individual private farming.
Foreign trade and economic
relations. Main trade partners of Belarus are Russia (over 50% of
foreign trade volume), Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Lithuania and others. Due to
objective historical and economic preconditions, Belarus maintains the most
developed economic ties with the countries of the CIS, especially Russia. At the same time, considerable attention
is being paid to the improvement of competitiveness of Belarusian goods and
their expansion on the Western markets.
