Belarus dairy exports on the rise
Belarus saw boosted sales of dairy products to foreign customers in 2024, Alexander Lomskiy, first deputy head of the Belarussian Agricultural and Food Ministry, revealed during an industry conference in Minsk.
In volume, supplies climbed by 11.5% compared with the previous year, exceeding 6 million tonnes, Lomskiy said. In value, exports soared by 17.5% to US$3.4 billion, he added.
Belarussian dairy exports surpassed forecasts. In early 2024, Alexey Bogdanov, head of the foreign department of the Belarussian Agricultural Ministry, projected that the exports would reach US$3.1 billion in 2025. Under the long-term industry development plan, Belarus plans to boost production from 9.2 million tonnes in 2025 to 10.5 million tonnes in 2030. As a result, exports are expected to reach US$4 billion by the end of the decade.
Dairy exports accounted for 40.3% of Belarussian food exports in 2024, Lomskiy said, indicating that the figure inched up compared with the previous year.
Export diversification
Successful efforts made by Belarussian dairy companies to diversify exports have largely contributed to the upturn in foreign sales. According to Lomskiy, Belarus kicked off exports to 10 new countries last year, bringing the total number of sales markets to 69.
In 2024, Belarussian dairy products made their debut in several promising markets, including Algeria, Mexico, Kenya, Kuwait, and Nigeria, marking a significant step in Belarus’s global presence in the dairy industry. “In addition to opening new markets, Belarussian dairy companies work on expanding the range of products supplied to the existing markets,” Lomskiy added.
The Belarussian government embarked on plans to diversify dairy exports due to tight dependence on the Russian market. The move potentially threatens Belarussian dairy exports, as Russia accounts for the lion’s share of the Belarussian dairy exports.
In 2024, Belarus also became the sole dairy exporter on the Russian market. According to the Russian state veterinary watchdog Rosselhoznadzor, out of 1 million tonnes of dairy products Russia imported last year, 953,000 tonnes came from Belarus.
