Mikhail Mishchenko: Belarus is not to blame for Russia's dairy problems

The first problem the expert calls the conceptual apparatus of the technical regulations "On the safety of milk and dairy products."

- With one hand we allow ourselves to have milk containing products, vegetable milk, milk containing products with milk fat substitute. We need to remove non-dairy products from the technical regulations. The press is discussing, many say that if we remove products with vegetable fats, there is nothing to feed the population. But we have Belarus and there are prospects for domestic production development, - Mikhail Mishchenko declared.

According to the expert, the problem of consumption is connected with the change of generation.

- Young people are not ready to buy milk. Milk needs to be trusted and we have to look for new forms, - Mikhail Mishchenko noted. 

Another problem is the influence of retail, said the Director of the RDRC.

- Trading networks compete with each other only for price. Does the processor have access to the end consumer? Actually not. For the milk processor, the end customer is the store. It is necessary to regulate the relationship between the retailer and the supplier, to promote regional products.

The expert called the lack of state regulation an extremely important point.

- In the current situation, the MPs allow themselves to set a specific purchase price. How to do it correctly? Feed inefficient owners or support efficient production? With the price of 28.6 rubles we will not be able to go to China. Is Belarus to blame for the Russian dairy industry? No. This is our common problem. Three years ago, when sanctions were imposed I said that Belarus would have problems because Russia's increasing its own production. The situation with the closure of factories is an incentive for Belarus - to create new directions, new products and new markets.

Read full article in Russian on DairyNews.ru