Export, Investment, and Small Business Support. An exclusive interview with Anzhelika Nikitina on the results of 2025 and plans for 2026
Economic success characterizes any region. Emphasis is placed on investment projects in districts, export-oriented products, and those that successfully replace imported counterparts. How is the Vitebsk region coping with these tasks? What stimulates local enterprises, including small businesses, today? What horizons does the northern region intend to expand in 2026? Our correspondent discussed this with the Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Anzhelika Nikitina.
– Anzhelika Aleksandrovna, the year is almost over. It's time to summarize preliminary results and analyze how the region's economy has performed.
– By the end of the year, the region is showing positive dynamics in the construction and transport sectors, with growth in retail trade turnover, public catering, and export of services. We have ensured wage growth and budget revenue growth. We have stabilized the employment situation. We have not allowed unjustified price increases. 42.7 thousand sq. m more housing has been commissioned than last year. Since 2023, the region has shown stable positive dynamics in the growth of investment in fixed assets.
This year, the region is a leader in investment growth rate. More than half of the investments are directed to the production sector.
Industrial organizations in the region are working stably and increasing volumes for key types of manufactured products.
Growth in production of goods in mining and metallurgy has been ensured. Production of pharmaceutical products, wood processing products, food products, beverages, and others has been increased.
– More than 100 investment projects are being implemented in the Vitebsk region, solely in the production sector. What is the focus, and which projects are on hold?
– For the third year in a row, we are increasing investment in the region's economy, with almost 4.5 billion rubles directed to its development this year. Growth compared to last year is 17.4%. This indicates business confidence in the state's economic course.
This year, a number of major production projects have already been completed, including the reconstruction of the feed mill of Vitebsk Broiler Poultry Farm, the creation of the food production enterprise "Ardıta" LLC, and the organization of paper bag production with a polyethylene liner by the "Krasnaya Zvezda Paper Mill" branch of OJSC "Svetlogorsk Pulp and Paper Mill".
Out of 35 investment production projects being implemented within the framework of the "One District – One Project" initiative, the implementation of 18 such projects has been completed, including 6 this year.
These include projects for the production of fish products in Chashniki District by "Lukomlsky Cannery" LLC, modernization of woodworking production in Lepel District by the state environmental institution "Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve", implementation of technology for the production of metal structures with multisystem integration of processes based on the Industry 4.0 concept in Polotsk District by "Novopolotsk Technological Metal Structures Plant" JV LLC, production of fruit and vegetable juices in Sharkovshchina District by "Organic Products" LLC, organization of production of new types of products at OJSC "Obolsky Ceramic Plant" with the introduction of firing technology and equipment using solid fuels, and organization of dairy production at OJSC "Postavy Dairy Plant".
Another 7 projects are in the final stage and will be completed by the end of the year.
Given that local authorities are responsible for implementation, I would say that some regions have even gotten carried away. For example, several production facilities have been created in Beshenkovichi, Lepel, and Dokshitsy.
Next year, it is planned to implement over 300 projects in the production and social spheres worth 2.6 billion rubles. The plans also include investing in the creation of a technopark in Vitebsk and a biopharmaceutical cluster based at OJSC "BelVitunipharm".
– One of the key tasks facing enterprises is to reduce import dependence. How dynamically is it being addressed?
– Today, we are actively working on import substitution both within the region and at the republic level. Import substitution, in my opinion, is a hallmark of the Vitebsk region.
A quarter of the innovative products in the region are import-substituting. Since the beginning of the year, the list of goods under the import substitution program has increased by 30 items. We have a diversified industry. And in fact, today, even within intra-regional cooperation, we can substitute a number of imported materials and raw materials, and we have over 3.5 thousand commodity items of these.
The import substitution program includes about 100 enterprises of communal and non-departmental subordination, half of which belong to small and medium-sized businesses, and about 200 commodity items are produced. These include baby food, cheeses, footwear, cable and wire products, fish and other products manufactured by Orsha Meat Canning Plant, BelFoodProduction, Verkhnedvinsk Butter and Cheese Factory, Glubokoye MCC, Energokomplekt, Marko, Belwest, etc.
The import intensity of the industrial sector is decreasing annually.
This year, a number of significant import substitution projects have been completed. In Orshaagromash LLC, a production facility for innovative beams and gearboxes for agricultural machinery has been established, and at Orsha Tool Plant OJSC, the republic's only production of modern metal-cutting and auxiliary tools has been organized.
VZEP is completing the implementation of a project for the comprehensive modernization of production aimed at developing and manufacturing new import-substituting products for the conveyor production of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. And, as a consequence, intermediate imports (what we import for assembly) decreased by 30% compared to last year.
– Approximately five hundred new organizations are registered in the region every year. What is the situation with the creation of production facilities today?
– Small and medium-sized businesses account for almost a third of the region's budget. They respond flexibly and promptly to changes in both external and internal business conditions. They often serve as a breeding ground for ideas and technologies. They create new jobs.
Over 9 months of 2025, 634 new organizations were registered in the region, with one-third of them in rural areas. Approximately 900 new jobs were created. By the end of the year, this number will undoubtedly increase.
Businesses were established where we have strong competencies: the food industry, woodworking, light industry, and farms in the regions. This is regarding the production sector. As for services, enterprises were formed in IT, trade, construction, and transport industries.
– How actively is the entrepreneurial sector transforming, and what kind of support can it expect?
– The transformation of the entrepreneurial sector continues, with individual entrepreneurs transitioning into legal entities. To date, 360 individual entrepreneurs have seamlessly changed their status to legal entities on the same day, retaining all rights and obligations. This has helped minimize risks and ensure business continuity.
The authorities are striving to do everything possible to ensure that businesses feel their bold decisions are supported. This includes financial, property, and informational support.
The state program "Small and Medium-sized Entrepreneurship" offers a wide range of opportunities: preferential lending, leasing, interest rate subsidies, and much more. This year, funds from the regional budget have been allocated to 18 business entities implementing 36 investment projects. The priority for providing such assistance is the creation of new jobs.
A number of preferences are provided for commercial organizations registered and operating in rural areas.
The annual competition organized by the regional executive committee helps identify the most necessary and important small and medium-sized business projects. We finance business initiatives in conjunction with banks.
Last year, new entrepreneurship support tools were introduced: loan guarantees, executive committee grants for projects, and reimbursement of part of capital expenditures when implementing investment projects with the involvement of Development Bank loans.
To support entrepreneurial initiatives, the banking sector has prepared a number of interesting products.
For the agricultural business, benefits are provided for land tax, property tax, and profit tax.
In the current year, for business operations, more than 70 real estate objects were sold for one base value, and 23 were transferred free of charge for the implementation of investment projects.
– What are the necessary untapped niches for development in the region? What goods does the region need?
– We have not yet fully developed the woodworking industry, where low-value timber remains not fully in demand. Therefore, to increase the volume of its deep processing, we are now working on modernizing "Vitebskdrev". A new pulp and paper mill will be built in Novopolotsk. We will process virtually all of the region's timber within the region and leave the added value here.
Special attention will also be paid to the pharmaceutical industry, electronics, instrument engineering and mechanical engineering, digitalization, agriculture, logistics, technoparks, and tourism development.
In the tourism sector, a decision has been made to start the construction of at least six new buildings for the sanatoriums "Borovoe", "Lesnoe", "Drivyaty", "Zhemchuzhina", "Lesnye Ozera", "Plissa" in 2026. The construction of campsites, agro-ecotourism estates, and the provision of land plots for the creation of recreational facilities are also planned. Our task is to ensure that every guest visiting the Vitebsk region wants to stay here or come back again.
– Speaking of product exports and interest in new markets, where exactly is the Vitebsk region looking?
– Today, the region trades with over 100 countries and ships its products to 70 states. More than 600 enterprises in the region export up to 900 types of goods. The top three of our main partners are Russia, China, and Kazakhstan.
One third of the exported products (excluding oil products) are high- and medium-tech.
We are discovering new markets in friendly states. Trade turnover with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has increased significantly, and we have seen substantial growth in trade and economic cooperation with other CIS countries: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. The share of far-arc countries is growing annually. We are exploring markets in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. New markets this year include Bahrain, Cuba, Jordan, Malaysia, and Ethiopia, whose markets were tested in 2023–2024.
We are strengthening existing ties and creating new ones, including through participation in international forums, exhibitions, and mutual business visits.
Currently, we are actively working with our Russian colleagues on implementing joint projects within the framework of Russian state programs, the Russian state procurement registry, and the localization of our production in the Russian Federation. The list may include cables, equipment, lifts, footwear, linen products, and more.
Our products are well-known abroad, and the region enjoys great trust, which is a result of the serious cooperation efforts led by the active regional administration headed by the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee.
The results of such interaction include participation in the implementation of production projects in the regions of the Russian Federation and other countries. For example, "Polymerkonstruktsiya" is constructing wastewater treatment and sewerage systems in 20 regions of Russia, the enterprise "Energokomplekt" is building a plant in Uzbekistan, and on December 23, we are opening a retail facility with Belarusian products in Smolensk. There are many similar examples.
– To summarize, how favorable was this year for the region's economy?
– The year was challenging. However, we managed to retain our workforces, increase revenues, and form a regional budget that allowed us to meet the needs of the social sector.
Despite climatic difficulties, we have prepared fodder and are increasing milk and meat production volumes, which ensures the utilization of our processing industry.
2025 is the final year of a five-year cycle that has laid the foundation for addressing the tasks of the upcoming five-year plan. We have developed approaches to the development of each region of the oblast, formed an impressive investment portfolio, started implementing new large-scale projects, and expanded our capabilities in foreign markets.
All of this will allow us to grow in key development performance indicators and improve the quality of life for our people.