Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has set the task of developing applied industries related to biotechnologies. First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov made the statement after a conference hosted by the Head of state to discuss the development of the Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation (BNBC).
“The requirements and tasks set by the President during the conference are simple: to further develop a range of practical applied industries related to biotechnologies,” said Nikolai Snopkov. “Biotechnologies based on plants include probiotics and antibiotics… This is a much broader spectrum for the development of various industries and growth points which, upon the President’s demand, we will continue developing on the basis of the BNBC.”
The First Deputy Prime Minister noted that a working group consisting of Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences Vladimir Karanik, and Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian People’s Congress Aleksandr Kosinets will assess the effectiveness of biotechnology development prospects. “This small team of three people will work out a project that will be implemented in two variants. It will be either a preferential Chinese government loan (it is included in China’s national budget for 2026 to the tune of 3.5 billion yuan) or a direct investor – a Chinese co-partner who will join us both as a technology owner and as a business partner,” Nikolai Snopkov stressed.
When asked about the project’s return on investment, he noted that in today’s realities it is quite difficult to predict. “The project may take off in such a way that it pays for itself within three years. Or it may take off, as people like to say now, because of ‘black swans.’ Who knows what tomorrow will bring… If a project pays for itself within 13–15 years, it would be excellent from my point of view. But we need to focus first and foremost on domestic demand, even if modest, in order to improve the efficiency of such industries that exist in the country,” Nikolai Snopkov believes. “There is this basic thing – import substitution. But import substitution is needed not for its own sake, but in order to improve the financial side and efficiency of existing businesses in the country. Focus on export is a secondary matter given market volatility and global uncertainty.”
