Following the discussion of a draft resolution concerning Svetlogorsk Pulp and Cardboard Mill at a meeting hosted by the President, the Government will consider making a systemic decision on payments to the national development fund, learned from Prime Minister of Belarus Aleksandr Turchin.
“We in the Government have already been thinking about it. We need to look at this issue on a slightly larger scale. Because the problem affects not only this particular enterprise and occurs with enviable regularity. Perhaps we should consider making a systemic decision on payments to the national development fund so that we do not have to go to the Head of state so often,” the Prime Minister said.
A draft government resolution on the allocation of funds from the state budget fund for national development to OAO Svetlogorsk Pulp and Cardboard Mill in 2026 was among the matters discussed at the meeting hosted by the Head of state on 5 May.
Following the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich told reporters that this proposal had been made in order to enable the enterprise to use the resources of the national development fund to repay loans. “After the meeting the Government will quickly finalize this document, and, I hope, it will be passed in the near future,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
At the same time, he explained, the main task is to further improve the efficiency of Svetlogorsk Pulp and Cardboard Mill by reducing costs and expanding markets for its products outside Belarus. However, the country’s needs for this product will also be fully satisfied.
“Svetlogorsk Pulp and Cardboard Mill is operating in routine mode, making products in accordance with its designed output capacity. The management has been tasked with hitting performance targets for 2026 set by the Government and specified by the enterprise’s business plan. At the same time, we are talking about fulfilling tasks not only for the year but also on a quarterly basis,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized. “Therefore, we will monitor how these targets are being hit. The enterprise’s operation is steady now. The manager has been tasked with ensuring increased efficiency of the enterprise through various measures that have to be identified by the management and the workforce.”
Furthermore, Viktor Karankevich noted, an investment project related to the construction of a workshop for producing packaging paper is currently in an active phase. “The task is to ensure construction readiness this year, and to commission the manufacturing facilities and the manufacturing of this product next year. The task of expanding the range of products manufactured by Svetlogorsk Pulp and Cardboard Mill with a higher added value will also be accomplished.”
