Belarus eager to raise transit revenues to $1.5bn by 2020

Belarus intends to raise its transit revenues up to $1.5 billion by 2020, BelTA learned from Belarusian Transport and Communications Minister Anatoly Sivak during the session of the Council of Ministers Presidium on 12 July. The session was held to discuss the draft national program on developing the logistics system and the transit potential in 2016-2020.

In line with the draft program the volume of logistics services is supposed to increase by 50%, the total warehouse area in logistics hubs by 60%, while revenues from transit are supposed to reach $1.5 billion.

Belarus' revenues from transit have been declining in comparison to the situation three or four years ago. "Sanctions and the resulting lower trade between Russia and the European Union are the reason," explained the Belarusian Transport and Communications Minister.

The main goals of the program will be improving logistics business conditions, improving the effectiveness of using the infrastructure required for providing logistics services, and improving Belarus' transit potential.

Each kind of transportation will have its own approaches. For instance, railway transport will be developed taking into account cargo transportation between China and Europe. "We will reach the 78,000 container mark this year. It means that on average two container trains will cross Belarus every 24 hours. Four years ago we had only one such train per week," noted Anatoly Sivak. Bearing this in mind, Belarus intends to work together with neighboring countries in order to accelerate cargo transportation across the border.

Plans have been made to legislatively reduce the number of documents needed for international cargo transportation by road and to expand the use of digital documents in logistics. The introduction of automatic registration of customs declarations will continue. A national smart system to monitor cargo flows on the basis of modern information and communication technologies will be created.

The existing legislation will be improved for the sake of developing the logistics infrastructure. "It is also necessary to promptly regulate the rates of cargo transportation by rail," believes the official. Work will continue to enable attractive conditions for delivering cargoes by foreign trucking companies to the logistics hubs located in Belarus in the vicinity of the Belarusian border. The development of the transport infrastructure will be coordinated with actions of partners in the Eurasian Economic Union.

First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vasily Matyushevsky noted that logistics business is one of the most promising avenues for developing the Belarusian economy. The country's location at the crossing of transport corridors from the west to the east and from the north to the south as well as Belarus' active participation in integration processes, including within the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt, contribute to it.

"It is necessary to continue working to improve the quality of providing logistics services, ensure the development of the logistics infrastructure, and improve the effectiveness of its usage. The effective usage of Belarus' transit potential should contribute to the quality development of the logistics system," believes Vasily Matyushevsky.

BELARUSIAN NEWS