Export
The city of Vitebsk is located in the north of the Republic of Belarus at the crossroads of important routes to the Baltic states, Russia, Ukraine, Central and Western Europe.
The city covers 9,600 hectares. It has a population of 355,000 inhabitants.
The developed transport infrastructure appeals to export-oriented companies and organizations (the city offers an extended network of railways and roads as well as air communication services).
Vitebsk boasts favorable conditions for boosting foreign trade and raising investments.
The major natural resources of the city include a mineral spring where a balneo-therapeutic health resort Letsy is located and Belarus’ largest dolomite deposits. Significant deposits of clay, loam, mortar sand, sand-and gravel materials can be found in the close vicinity of Vitebsk. Belarus’ largest forest reserves are located here.
The city is home to five universities – Masherov Vitebsk State University, the Vitebsk State Technological University, the Vitebsk State Veterinary Academy, the Vitebsk State Medical University and the Vitebsk Branch of the International Institute of Labor and Social Relations and the Institute of Technical Acoustics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
The city’s industry is dominated by machine-building, metalworking, light and food industries and production of construction materials.
Over 600 organizations of the city are involved in foreign economic activity. The city maintains economic links with 80 countries. The major trading partners are Russia, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova and China.
The major exports include cabling and wiring products (the Energokomplekt company is Belarus’ leading producer of wires for overhead power lines and heavy-gauge power cords for 10, 35 and 110 KW), optical-fiber cable for various operational environments (Soyuz-Kabel), leather footwear (Marko, Belwest, Krasny Oktyabr, San Marko), TV sets, DVD players, vacuum cleaners, medical equipment, and fire control units (Vityas), measuring devices (VZEP, Europribor), condensers, resistors, thermo-resistors (Monolit), wood-working and metal-cutting machines (Vistan, Vizas), fibreboard, wood chip board and plank timber (Vitebskdrev), building brick, ceramic stone (Keramika), pumps, equipment and component parts for trucks, tractors, farm machinery (Evistor), meat and dairy products (Moloko, Vitebsk Meat-Packing Plant, Global Vitebsk), confectionery (Vitba), veterinary preparations (VIK), carpets (Vitebsk Carpets), apparel (Znamya Industrializatsii, Vitebchanka, Bell Bimbo Plus, Nartex, KIS, Grazia), knitted goods, legwear garments (KIM), rapeseed oil (Vitebsk oil-extracting factory), PVC and wooden windows (Oknainvest, Canadian Technologies, Kvant, Egida, Russky Club, Vzglyad) and other products.
To promote their products on foreign markets, Vitebsk-based companies maintain a constant focus on raising the quality of products and getting international quality certificates (81 companies have certified their products in compliance with ISO 9001 requirements, six companies have received HACCP certificates, eight companies have passed ecological certification in compliance with ISO 14000 requirements, and 16 in compliance with STB 18001 requirements).
Some 74 companies with capital from 17 states operate in Vitebsk. The bulk of investments comes from Russia, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland.
Vitebsk maintains good neighborly relations with cross-border regions and expands cooperation with non-CIS states. Vitebsk has signed 15 cooperation agreements with twin-towns of the Russian Federation, Germany, Latvia, Israel, Sweden, Poland, China and Moldova.
The top priorities of the city’s administration include developing the infrastructure, raising foreign investments, supporting small and medium business, and implementing innovative and tourist projects.
The availability of highly qualified specialists and training centers has determined the establishment of the BelVitunipharm pharmaceutical company. The company helps meet the domestic demand for locally produced drugs.
The delivery of export-oriented investment projects at the Vitebsk Mechanical Engineering Plant Novmash (oil and gas equipment) and DekoraIst (plastic baseboards) helped introduce advanced technologies and boost export potential.
Small and medium businesses are making big strides in exploring foreign markets. These companies include the supplier of medical goods and instruments Simurg, daylight lamps Anelma, measuring equipment Evropribor, machine-tools Stankoremont, apparel Tekstach, knitted wear Belvit, measuring devices for Russia’s energy industry Energo-Soyuz, forging and pressing machines Oststankoprom.
The free economic zone Vitebsk was set up to foster economic growth via raising foreign investments and introducing progressive technologies.
At present, the resident companies of the FEZ Vitebsk are implementing over 30 investment projects involving capital from 13 countries (Germany, Poland, USA, Czechia, Russia, UK, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, Canada, and Finland). The declared investments are estimated at $160 million.
The FEZ offers special tax and customs regimes. The deployment of a company in the FEZ Vitebsk allows reducing financial burden on an enterprise by the average of 30-40% and getting the payback on investments sooner.
Vitebsk is a popular tourist centre. It has been by right called a cultural capital of Belarus.
The city is a host of the biggest international art festival, Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk, that gathers participants and guests from over 30 countries.
Vitebsk is a native land of many outstanding poets and writers, musicians and composers, and famous artists such as Ilya Repin, Yuri Pen, Marc Chagall, Kazimir Malevich, Robert Falk, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky. The city has made it into history as one of the leading artistic avant-garde centers.
As for tourism, there are 35 travel agencies in Vitebsk. 29 of them provide inbound tourist services and have highly qualified personnel.
The city offers the following excursion routes: 1,000-Year-Old Vitebsk and The Vitebsk of Marc Chagall. The city has been renovating and creating tourist infrastructure facilities. Among them is an architectural site of the 18th century that has been turned into a center of crafts and arts, Zadvinye, the Church of the Resurrection of the Christ, the Suvorova Street and the creation of an Old City in this part of the cultural center, the Victory Square and parks. Vitebsk District abounds in resorts and recreation areas, it has over 120 farmsteads.
Welcome to the city of Vitebsk!
In doing business with foreign companies we try our best to accommodate the interests of our partners.
