Cooperation with China and replacement of milk packaging. How Belarus solves the tetrapack issue

Vadim Shagoiko Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus

At a recent meeting of the Council of Ministers, the HEAD of state instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to resolve the issue of providing the domestic market with MILK. In Belarus, due to sanctions, difficulties arose with tetrapack, but the country intends to quickly solve this problem and provide consumers with a wide range of products. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Vadim Shagoiko told BelTA what kind of milk packaging will now be available in Belarusian stores, how the search for tetrapack suppliers is going, and whether the absence of this packaging has affected exports.

What packages for milk are there in Belarus

At the moment, Belarusian manufacturers use several types of packaging for milk - these are tetra-pack, pure-pack, PET bottle and film. They come in different volumes - 0.5 l, 1 l and 1.5 l. “It was thanks to this variety of packages that we offered a wide range of products. However, an unfavorable situation has formed on the market due to sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation, and the lack of tetrapack supplies has also affected us. Therefore, consumers may notice in stores a certain narrowing of the assortment, but not the volume of milk ", - said Vadim Shagoiko.

How is the issue with the supply of tetrapak solved?

Tetrapack is not produced in Belarus, since this is a rather complicated technology, and at the moment there is no such production in the country. In this regard, domestic producers of dairy products are actively considering proposals from other states. "We find potential suppliers, study their products and capabilities. In order to minimize risks and not buy a pig in a poke, we initially work out all the technical characteristics. This is also done because we are interested in long-term contracts, and if the partner turns out to be unreliable, this will set us back a year,” said the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food.

"We sent requests to almost all of our embassies, despite the "friendliness" of the countries. At the moment, we are actively working with CHINA, Turkey's capabilities are being studied, and other EU states, in addition to Denmark, are considered as suppliers - Note by BelTA) We are trying to build partnerships," the specialist stressed.

Testing of new tetrapak samples

Some enterprises have already brought new samples of tetrapack and are conducting technical tests of this package. As the deputy minister explained, during sterilization, milk can be stored in a tetrapack package for 9-12 months. In this regard, it is important to carefully check the packaging for safety and quality, and this takes more time. But the work is going on actively, and they strive to complete it in a short time.

"We have rather ambitious tasks ahead of us. Of course, first of all, we want the consumer not to feel the replacement of packaging. And, of course, we are aimed at returning to a wider range. The same task is facing milk producers. We try not to delay with tests, negotiations and resolve all issues fairly quickly. At the same time, our primary task is to ensure the safety of the product and the preservation of its useful qualities," said Vadim Shagoiko.

Has the lack of Tetra Pak affected exports?

As the deputy minister explained, Belarus aims to EXPORT high-margin products, and milk has a minimum margin. So, for a whole-milk product, the range is 9-10% profitability, while for butter it is 25-30%, for cheese - 40% or more. "In this regard, the supply of milk is not the main goal of our export policy. However, we do supply whole-milk products, and they are quite in demand, in particular in the Russian Federation. Of course, there is a certain narrowing of the supply due to the lack of tetrapack, but PET is being replaced -bottles. As for far abroad countries, our products are delivered there in dry form, and in this case, the packaging does not matter," the specialist said.

Are there leftovers of Tetra Pak on the Belarusian market?

In Belarus, reserves were created for 3-6 months. "In order to maintain the parity of packages in the assortment, we now use tetrapacks more economically. At the moment, there are products in such packaging in stores, but these are mainly cream, which have a longer shelf life. Milk is also present in the tetrapack, albeit not in full - there are fewer 0.5-liter packages, but liter tetra-packs are still on the shelves," said Vadim Shagoiko.

According to him, the quantity of this packaging is measured by manufacturers, and now everyone is switching to the production of milk in PET bottles and film, but the lines have not stopped. "The Russian Federation supplies us with tetrapacks on a residual basis, therefore, although with interruptions, supplies have been preserved," the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food summed up.

The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food stressed that, despite the difficulties, the country is fully provided with milk and over time it will be possible to reach the previous range. Manufacturers are looking for ways to do this.

BELTA.