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Prime minister orders construction of caramel plant in Brest region within year

Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich directed on Thursday that facilities for the production of caramel be built at Zhabinka Sugar Refinery within a year.

The order has been given because the product range of the Belarusian sugar refineries is rather limited, Mr. Myasnikovich told reporters while touring the Brest region.

Belarus currently imports caramel, mostly from Ukraine, despite the fact that it has all necessary resources to produce caramel domestically, he said.

Mr. Myasnikovich stressed that reducing production costs should be a major priority for Belarusian companies if they want to be efficient and profitable.

According to Mr. Myasnikovich, the government's recent decision to assign members of the Council of Ministers to supervise a number of companies and projects was intended to revive those companies and not to transfer managerial functions to government officials.

Many companies are currently in a difficult situation for various reasons, and "breakthrough projects" are necessary to help them, he said.

When asked about the prospects of a company under his supervision, Baranavichy Industrial Cotton Association, Mr. Myasnikovich said that its circumstances were very difficult but not hopeless.

The company has good prospects because it is undergoing structural reform, its profitability is increasing and its stockpiles of unsold products are decreasing, he said. //BelaPAN