Exports of Belarusian agricultural products to China have witnessed continuous increase in the past years, and Belarusian officials and enterprises said that the potential for bilateral trade is still there and they are constantly exploiting it.

Belarus has found new transport routes through the territory and ports of Russia, instead of Ukraine, and therefore maintained smooth logistics chain to China, a Belarusian official revealed on Wednesday at a webinar on China-Belarus agriculture cooperation.

More than 340 Chinese and Belarusian enterprises attended the event which the Belarusian Embassy in China said is the largest of its kind held by the embassy.

"Today, Belarusian producers from various regions of Belarus and Chinese partners from various provinces and cities in China, are participating in our forum, which once again underlines the importance of interregional cooperation," Yuri Senko, Belarusian Ambassador to China, said on Wednesday at the webinar.

At present, more than 150 Belarusian food exporters have been successfully registered in the Chinese customs system. They are producers of dairy products, frozen beef, chicken, fish, confectionery, wine and other food products, Senko detailed.

A growing number of Belarusian products can be seen in China's stores and on major e-commerce platforms, said Senko.

Since 2017, the share of Belarus's agricultural and food exports to China has increased from 3.2 percent to 41.7 percent. In many categories, Belarus is among the top 10 suppliers to China, the ambassador noted.

"I also encourage you to develop economic cooperation in other areas, such as investment. Belarus has a China-Belarus Industrial Park named Great Stone, as well as several free economic zones, which provide good conditions for investors," said Senko.

Alla Lomakina, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Belarus, further introduced that in the first quarter of 2022, about $104 million of Belarusian food and agricultural raw materials were exported to China, up 62 percent from the same period in 2021.

Meat products accounted for a large share of exports, which totaled $77.8 million, up 3.8 times year-on-year. Meanwhile, frozen beef exports increased 5.9 times to $56.49 million. In second place was milk and dairy products, with exports of nearly $24 million, according to Lomakina.

"As we have mentioned on many occasions, the cooperation between China and Belarus has been carried out in many fields. Agricultural products and food account for a considerable proportion of Belarus's exports to China," said the deputy minister.

Since late February this year, Belarusian exporters have faced the logistical problem of being unable to send goods to China through Ukraine.

"So far, the situation has stabilized with the connection of new transport routes through the territory and ports of Russia. It is expected that with the accumulation of logistics experience on the new route, the export of meat and dairy products from Belarus to China will maintain a positive growth momentum," said Lomakina.

The president of Belgospishcheprom, the Belarusian state consortium on the food industry and one of the largest food producers in the country, said at Wednesday's event that China is a very important trading partner for them.

"Over the years, we have supplied a wide range of products to China, including sugar, confectionery, baby food, alcohol products, beer, rapeseed oil, canned fruits and vegetables, and other products," he mentioned.

Chinese enterprises, including producers, retailers, equipment manufacturers and trade service providers, said they are looking for Belarusian partners and are ready to import from the country.