Russia’s Orenburg Oblast eager to buy Belarusian harvesters

Orenburg Oblast is interested in buying Gomselmash harvesters, BelTA learned from Yuri Berg, Governor of Russia’s Orenburg Oblast. Yuri Berg led an Orenburg Oblast delegation on a visit to Gomel Oblast on 3 March.

According to the Russian governor, the visit continued the cooperation that began during the Russian-Belarusian forum of the regions in Sochi in autumn 2015. Back then the heads of the two oblasts signed an agreement on cooperation. “Today we have already discussed all the important matters, including harvesters, with the Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee. Our views are similar. The only difference is that Vladimir Andreyevich Dvornik speaks in favor of creating a budget harvester while I call it an affordable harvester,” said Yuri Berg.

According to Yuri Berg, the Russian Federation government is now considering the inclusion of Gomselmash products into the Russian program on agribusiness support. This is why mutual understanding between the heads of the regional administrations is important. “In December 2015 we met with top executives of the Gomel enterprise in Orenburg. We agreed that we will definitely visit the factory in order to continue working on making this harvester more affordable,” said Yuri Berg.

Over 400 Gomselmash machines are used in Orenburg Oblast fields and have earned a good reputation. The replacement of old harvesters and the increase in the available rolling stock will allow Orenburg Oblast farmers to greatly reduce the harvesting timeframe.

The Orenburg Oblast government has adopted a program for giving out compensations to buyers of agricultural machines. The compensations vary from RUB300,000 to RUB1.5 million. The Belarusian side has also come up with tools to improve harvester sales. At present the Belarusian share on the Russian market of agricultural machines is as high as at least 40%. The implementation of the planned measures will allow Belarusian machines to step up presence in regions of Russia, including in Orenburg Oblast.

The industrial group Gomselmash was founded on the basis of the Gomselmash factory that was established in 1930. Gomselmash is one of the top manufacturers of agricultural machines. It is one of the leaders on the world market of harvesters and other sophisticated agricultural machines. Sold under the Palesse brand, Gomselmash’s product lineup includes nine types of agricultural machines, 23 basic models, 26 modifications, 48 adapters and tools for harvesting various kinds of crops. Among other places Gomselmash harvesters are used in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Baltic states, Argentina, Brazil, Iran, China, and Korea. Gomselmash has a far-reaching distribution chain.

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