Natural resources must be used more efficiently for economic development. This was discussed at a regular meeting of the regional executive committee
As reported by Ruslan Vinokurov, Chairman of the Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, the mineral and raw material base of the Vitebsk region fully meets the needs of the national economy. In 2015, more than 130 thousand tons of peat, 2.5 million cubic meters of sand and gravel mixture, 2.7 million tons of dolomite, and more than 350 thousand cubic meters of clay were extracted. In recent years, the volumes of mineral extraction have been decreasing. At the same time, their use remains a promising direction.
For example, thanks to the implementation of an investment project at the Novolukoml expanded clay gravel plant in 2014, production output increased 3.5 times. In 2015, OJSC "Dolomit" commissioned a line for the production of powder for the glass industry, which allowed for the production of 12.5 thousand tons of innovative products in 9 months of the current year.
Currently, a Czech company has built a plant in the Sharkovshchyna district for the production of peat substrates with a design capacity of up to 100 thousand tons per year, and export supplies to Turkey have been established.
In the Tolochnsky district, it is planned to implement an investment project for growing mushrooms using peat as a substrate. There are reserves for the extraction and processing of sapropel. The Vitebsk region has 77% of the republic's sapropel reserves; prospecting and evaluation work has been carried out on 474 lakes, of which 78 are classified as promising for development. Significant reserves are found in Lake Buzyanka in the Verkhnedvinsk district, Lake Usvye in the Ushach district, and Lake Dobeyevskoye in the Shumilino district.
In the Vitebsk region, 39 deposits of underground fresh water have been explored with an operational reserve of about 900 thousand cubic meters per day. Currently, there are 28 deposits of mineral water, 16 of which are being developed. 11 enterprises are engaged in the extraction and bottling of mineral water.
The region has the potential for the use of renewable energy sources. At the landfills of Orsha, Vitebsk, and Novopolotsk
Biogas plants utilize over 5 million cubic meters of landfill gas. Preparatory work is underway for the construction of 11 wind power complexes in six districts of the Vitebsk region. Currently, over 60 solar power installations are in operation. More than 40 boiler houses generate thermal energy from wood and flax shives.Hunting grounds management is carried out by 62 lessees. The State Program "Belarusian Forest" is being implemented to achieve optimal populations of elk, red deer, and roe deer, and infrastructure is being developed. However, there is no growth in income from hunting grounds management, and a steady trend of declining revenue from foreign hunting tourism has emerged.
Snail harvesting is a promising area. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the commercial stock of this species is 227 tons. Grodno's "Moka Firm" is purchasing snails in 10 districts of the Vitebsk region. In 2015, 118.8 tons of mollusks were harvested, which are exported to France.
Forest products have great potential. From 2014 to August 2016, 457.8 tons of wild berries and mushrooms were exported, totaling $2.5 million. However, the results could have been greater.
Assistant to the President of the Republic of Belarus – Chief Inspector for the Vitebsk Region, Alexander Poznyak, inquired of the head of the land management service of the regional executive committee, Igor Levenkov, about the progress in fulfilling the head of state's directive on more effective use of coastal areas and water surfaces for tourism purposes.
Igor Ivanovich noted that, taking into account environmental protection requirements, sites in 6 districts of the Vitebsk region have been selected for these purposes, including 100 in Braslavsky district and 45 in Ushachsky district. Documentation is currently being processed to subsequently provide investors with these allocated sites for the placement of tourism facilities.
Sergey Danilovich, General Director of Vitebsk State Production Forestry Association, reported that over 10 months of 2016, the growth rate of timber and lumber exports compared to the same period last year was 121%, including
pellets – 130%, wood chips – 590%. The total amount of foreign currency revenue was 21 million dollars.According to Viktor Shulyak, First Deputy Chairman of the regional consumer union, 864 retail outlets and 100 receiving points are involved in procurement activities in rural areas, and there are 32 cold storage units for freezing berries and mushrooms. From 40 to 50% of wild-growing products are exported. By the way, collecting mushrooms and berries brings a good income to villagers. Over the past three years, the regional consumer union's procurement agents alone have paid the population 23.5 billion undenominated rubles.
As we can see, natural resources can generate income, and the potential in this area is high. It is only necessary to use these gifts wisely.
"VV" Reference
More than 3 thousand deposits of mineral resources have been discovered in the bowels of the Vitebsk region: peat, sapropel, sand and gravel material, sand, clay, 100% of the explored republican reserves of dolomite, and large volumes of fresh and mineral underground waters.
Sergey Lyashuk, "Vitebskiye vesti".