BELARUSIAN ECONOMY & TRADE

MINSK, Feb 10 (Prime-Tass) -- In Belarus the surplus of trade in services in 2004 rose 30.7% on the year to U.S. $743.9 million, according to spokesman with Belarus’ Foreign Ministry Andrei Savinykh.

Belarus’ exports of services rose 15.1% on the year in 2004 to $1.731 billion. Of the total, exports of services to CIS countries amounted to $623.6 million, up 20.5% on the year, including exports to Russia, which amounted to $420.4 million in 2004, up 15.8% on the year. Belarusian exports to non-CIS countries went up 12.2% on the year to $1.107 billion as of January 1, 2005.

Transportation services accounted for 60.5% of the total services exports and stood at $1.047 billion as of January 1, up 21.7% on the year. Tourist services accounted for 17% of the total, at $294.9 million, up 10.5%, and communication services for 4.9%, at $85 million, up 20.9% on the year. Construction services amounted to 3.5% of the total services exports, or $101.3 million, up 1.3% on the year.

Imports of services rose 5.6% on the year in the period to $986.9 million. This includes imports of services from the CIS at $532.5 million as of January 1, up 23.8% on the year. Imports of services from Russia stood at $337.9 million, up 28.5%. Imports from non-CIS countries went down 9.9% on the year to $454.4 million.

Tourist services accounted for 45.2% of the total services imports and stood at $445.7 million as of January 1, down 9.6% on the year. Transportation services’ share amounted to 23.7%, at $234 million, up 22.5% on the year; communication services 7.2% or $71.3 million, up 11.8%; construction services 2%, at $19.7 million, down 29.6%; insurance services 0.2%, at $2.3 million, down 4.2% on the year, and financial services 1.4% or $13.7 million, up 180%.

As Prime-Tass reported earlier, the share of services in Belarusian exports is decreasing, which makes it hard to compensate for the deficit of trade in goods.

In 2004 the surplus of trade in services compensated 28.7% of the deficit of trade in goods; in 2003 the figure stood at 45% and in 1999 at 55%.

28/01/2005

ON FOREIGN TRADE IN COMMUNICATION SERVICES

(on the information from Interfax)

Last year enterprises and organizations accountable to the Information Technology and Communication Ministry of Belarus increased the volume of foreign trade in services by 15.2% up on 2003 to a total of $123.7 million, Communication and Information Technology Minister Vladimir Goncharenko informed at a sitting of the ministry board on January 27.

In 2004 the surplus of foreign trade in services made $12.2 million, with electric communication services making $10.6 million of the total, post services - $1.6 million.

The minister stated, constantly growing demand for communication services boosted the development of electric communication means. Last year the ministry installed 258,300 local phones, including 206,200 phones in urban areas and 52,100 phones in rural ones. Early this year the equipped capacity of urban phone exchanges made 98.4%, rural ones – 97.9%. The highest figures were registered in Minsk Region.

Last year they commissioned 1,300 km of fibre optic communication lines, 5% more than the annual target. Now 98 district towns are connected with fibre optic communication networks.

The minister informed, last year the number of fixed phones gained 104,600 (the forecast – 82,000), including 73,800 in urban networks. The number of personal phones grew 95,300 (the annual target — 77,000).

Last year the ministry spent BYR 29.4 billion on developing local phone networks. On the whole, enterprises and organizations of the Information Technology and Communication Ministry invested BYR 323.5 billion in fixed capital.

Last year proceeds of ministry’s enterprises and organisations amounted to BYR 1.3 trillion. Return on sales made 16.1%, 5.8 percentage points up on 2003.

According to the minister, only Les Company and Promsvyaz operated in the red. Their losses made BYR 3.6 billion and BYR 0.3 billion respectively. Industrial output growth made 113.9$ as against 2003 (the target was 109-110%), consumer goods turnout – 111.4% (108-109%).

In 2005 a ministry taskforce charged with preparing the Belarusian communication industry for entering the World Trade Organisation will continue insisting on sectional position related to access to the service market.

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Belarus’ services’ trade surplus up 30.7% on yr in 2004

ON FOREIGN TRADE IN COMMUNICATION SERVICES