Belarus unable to sell alcohol, tractors and dump trucks

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"This is an alarming tendency that everyone keeps talking about. Since early this year, over 10 trillion ruble-worth of goods have been stockpiled in warehouses. The total amount is over 32 trillion rubles," says deputy economy minister Aliaksandr Yarashenka. But stockpiles in warehouses mean US dollars and other foreign currencies not rubles. According to the deputy minister, the devaluation effect is over; hence the problem.

"Belarusian goods have no advantages in terms of prices; one needs to think about the quality of Belarusian goods," remarks Mr Yarashenka. The biggest stockpiles can be spotted in warehouses of machinery manufacturers. They are unable to sell the stocks of buses, lorries and dump trucks.

But this growth in stockpiles of unsold goods does not worry the Ministry of Economy; the ministry official remains calm:

"68% against the average monthly output exceeds the target by 17 per cent."

When asked what the Brest Electrotechnical Plant should do with 11337 per cent of stockpiled goods in warehouses, the deputy minister throws up his hands:

"The authorities in Brest should think what to do."

Representatives of the Brest plant says they worked ahead of schedule in order to meet the target figures for the region.

"Our product is season-oriented; there is no need to worry. Naturally, we cannot now execute several hundreds of instruments; we are accumulating them a bit," they say at the factory that has produced enough product not to work for one year.

Surprisingly, alcohol is also a season-oriented product, in the view of Brest-based Belalco company's workers. People did not buy alcohol during the festive season in January, so the product has accumulated in warehouses.

They plan to clear the warehouses in the course of the summer.

"Season demand for vodka? Maybe water, but not for alcohol... They usually buy for holidays," a sales attendant at liquor store Prydzvinnie is clearly surpised.

Economist Leanid Zaika says the warehouse stocks are a dead capital.

"These goods are out of demand. People worked; loans were taken under 40-50 percent; time, energy was wasted; people got their salaries, and everything was in vain, because nobody needs this product! In any country, such enterprises are closed down, while workers are laid off. This sigificantly worsens the general economic situation in the country."

The economist gives some advices.

"In this cases, enterprise usually sells out its product at low prices and fires all marketing department staff. But the question arises: why did you produce this product, dear friends? Because they raced to meet the target of 8 percent in GDP. It means the target was in vain. It means the leadership should be dismissed or retire."