National Bank to build farms and grain drying plants
- 28.07.2011, 12:35
Lukashenka’s protégé from Shklou in her first interview as the chair of the National Bank articulated her understanding of the country’s economy.
“My position is that the banking system should work for development of the economy and satisfaction the population’s needs,” Nadezhda Yermakova said. Among the most important missions the National Bank should perform, she named reinforcing the gold and currency reserves, forming them at the full extent, which is needed, and also forming an additional reserve which would be possible to be sold at the free market. At the same time, currency should be earned, the chair of the National Bank stressed. “Currency does not fall from the skies, we should either borrow it from someone or earn,” she added. “And in order to earn it, one should develop export, decrease import, and be engaged in import substitution at enterprises.”
Answering the questions of journalists about the situation at the currency market, Nadezhda Yermakova noted that the problem is that there is not enough foreign exchange to sell it in exchange offices. However this is not the most important problem. “IN many countries foreign currency is not sold freely, but economy develops there and people live their,” she said. “It is not right when we keep foreign currency in the pocket. We do not have a ruble, we cannot buy some bread, as we are saving $15-20 in the pocket.”
According to the new head of the National Bank board of directors, today major efforts should be concentrated on finishing building of production facilities scheduled for putting in operation, of dairy farms and grain drying complexes, BelTA informs.
At the same time, if the population needs currency, including for social expenditures abroad, banks make advances. Earlier only Belarusbank was doing that, and now other banks joined solving these issues. “Belarusbank have been selling foreign currency for these aims for more than two months, if a person needs money for a holiday abroad for instance, one should show a copy of tickets, and would be sold the currency of that country,” she noted. As said by her, it is certainly additional quite time consuming work for banks, but they manage it.