OREANDA-NEWS. Over the eight months this year, Belarus imported cars at the amount of $236 million, or 1,5 times up, First Vice Premier Vladimir Semashko told a session of the Council of Ministers, reported the Official website www.government.by.

The official also noted the growth of the import of other nonfood goods. In the period under review Belarus imported medicines 1,2 times more as against the same period last year ($27,2 million). The import of refrigerators and freezers increased 1,6 times. The import of electrotechnical goods went up as well.

According to Vladimir Semashko, the import of consumer goods has been growing as the capacity of the Belarusian consumer market has been increasing. Nevertheless, the imports of consumer goods exceed their exports. As a result, in January-August, Belarus posted a deficit in trade in consumer goods to the tune of $352 million.

Belarus ramped up the import of frozen fish by $17 million. The import of beer, tea and coffee upped as well.

These factors have contributed to the growth of the foreign trade deficit, the First Vice Premier noted. The gap between the growth of imports and exports reduced down to 8 percentage points while at the beginning it was more than 20 percentage points.

According to Vladimir Semashko, immediate measures need to be taken to even the situation in foreign trade.