Agreement reached on certain shifts of costs for transportation by rail
Belarus exports its cargo to the third countries via over 20 Russian ports at preferential tariffs, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko made the statement after negotiations with Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin, according to Belta.
“The reorientation of traffic flows was the first most complicated task we had to deal with,” Roman Golovchenko reminded. “We know that logistics has very seriously affected prices for our products. Not prices for the Russian market but prices for exports to non-CIS states. This is why it was of critical importance for us not to simply redirect export but make it in an economically profitable way. … We are working with over 20 Russian ports. We enjoy rather preferential tariffs, too. This is why everything is fine in this regard.”
According to Roman Golovchenko, Belarus has reached an agreement on certain shifts with regard to transportation costs, primarily transportation by rail.
According to the Prime Minister, in 2022 Belarus increased export to Russia by 40%. In January 2023 and according to the latest data of February and March the trend remains in place.
As the Ministry of Transport and Communication of Belarus told IAA PortNews earlier, the potential volume of Belorussian cargo to be handled in Russian ports is estimated at 30 million tonnes per year. As of today, the bulk of Belorussian cargo is handled by Great Port of Saint-Petersburg, Ust-Luga, Rostov-on-Don, Novorossiysk, Yeisk, Astrakhan and Olya.