The Belarusian economy is open and virtually all the branches are export-oriented, the President of Belarus says

       The Belarusian economy is open and virtually all the branches are export-oriented, but civil servants should work harder to raise export, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said at the government session to discuss the export of Belarusian products.
      The operation of commodity distribution chains abroad was another important topic touched upon at the government session, namely the reasons behind the low effectiveness. Alexander Lukashenko noted:
       “Less than 10% of Belarusian exports are sold via proprietary outlets and even then these units suffer from low financial discipline and the lack of a sensible pricing policy. As an example I can mention assembly enterprises run by the Industry Ministry. One time they are opened, half of them get shut down half a year later. It is not a flexible trade policy but an imitation of effort.
The sales of products on foreign markets bypassing proprietary chains or sales via mediator schemes that result in damages for the economy of the enterprises abound.
       The State Control Committee has revealed facts when MTZ tractors and spare parts were exported by a mediator to Russia, Kazakhstan, and other countries while the mediator pretended to use domestic prices but in fact sold the commodities at much higher prices. I am told that since last year and till August 2012 such deliveries exceeded $10 million.
       It seems to me that the top management of several ministries and concerns are self-complacent and, more than that, they are unconcerned. They hide behind overall good figures that have been achieved without their making an effort whatsoever. It must end. Everyone must work hard and grind away”.