Business news

CHISINAU, 9 November (BelTA) – The Belarusian enterprise Bobruisk Plant of Tractor Parts and Units and the enterprise Bugeacagrotekhservis from the village of Tomai in the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia in Moldova’s south have set up a joint venture to assemble compact tractors. The information was released by Vladimir Oreshkov, Deputy Head of the Marketing and Sales Department of Bobruisk Plant of Tractor Parts and Units, and Ivan Nedov, Director of the Tomai-based enterprise, BelTA has learned.

The agreement on setting up the joint venture was signed during the investment forum that took place in the Moldovan town of Komrat at the end of last week. However, the two sides started cooperating as part of the joint vehicle assembly project two months before that. By the time of the investment forum the Tomai-based enterprise had assembled seven Belarusian compact tractors. Several samples of the first batch were showcased in front of the Gagauzia administration building. Participants of the forum were able to evaluate them.

The deputy head of the marketing and sales department of the Bobruisk-based enterprise said that compact Belarusian tractors, which engine output varies from 30hp to 65hp, are made in Gagauzia. Initially the joint venture will assemble up to 100 vehicles per annum. Later on the enterprise will be able to increase the output up to 1,000 units per annum.

The Bugeacagrotekhservis director underlined that the Belarusian-Moldovan project offers good prices. Prices for Bobruisk-made tractors and Tomai-made tractors will be equal despite the geographical distance between the countries. In his words, in essence agricultural enterprises, municipal enterprises from Gagauzia and other parts of Moldova will be able to get vehicles at producer prices. The approach will allow them to very profitably renew their vehicle fleets and will give an impulse to the infrastructure’s development. The first samples of the tractors have been bought by the administrations of a number of Gagauzia villages for their municipal enterprises.

It was noted that the Tomai-made Belarusian compact tractors will be sold to the administrations of towns and villages of Gagauzia and the entire country of Moldova. Plans have been made to ship the merchandise to neighboring Romania.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Moldova Sergei Chichuk underlined that the interest in Tomai-made Belarusian tractors is strong. Sales of the first few tractors confirmed it. In his words, in the future the sides intend to expand the product range with medium-capacity tractors. “We are also in negotiations on assembling harvesters, mowers and other machines that will be in demand here, in Gagauzia,” concluded Sergei Chichuk. The Ambassador noted that the partners from Belarus have rather serious plans with regard to Gagauzia. Taking into account the decrease in bilateral trade it is necessary to find new methods and forms of interaction. Manufacturing cooperation looks most promising. The diplomat reminded that Belarus and Moldova already assemble tractors and trolleybuses together. An agreement on assembling buses is supposed to be signed by the end of the year.