OREANDA-NEWS. April 30, 2010. State-run Belaruskali has invested 791 billion Belarusian rubles (Br) in acquisition of domestically-made import-substituting equipment over the past four years, an official in the administration of the company told.

Over 4,800 units of equipment were bought for 16 Belarusian producers.

The import-substitution program of Belaruskali saves foreign currency and provides domestic makers with orders. In 2006, purchases of import-substituting equipment made up 35% of overall equipment purchases, whereas in 2009, the figure rose to 75%.”

Belaruskali plans to increase investments in renovation of its production facilities 41.7% on the year in 2010 to 1.276 trillion rubles.

The producer will be spending its own funds on upgrade.

Belaruskali plans to export about 480,000 tonnes of potash fertilizers in April 2010, compared to 150,000 tonnes in April 2009.

Belaruskali plans to export 4.9-5.5 million tonnes of potash in 2010, up from 2.948 million tonnes in 2009.

Belaruskali is one of the largest potash makers in the world, employing about 20,000 personnel. The company plans to increase its output to 9.65 million tonnes annually by 2015. Belaruskali accounts for 15.3% of the world potash production.