Republic of Belarus has been granted a discount from rail tariff for the transportation of some categories of its export designated cargoes to be shipped via the Big port of St. Petersburg in the Baltic and Astrakhan in the Caspian.
The decision on granting the discount was taken in the framework of the Russia – Belarus joint commission, the Astrakhan region government press office reports quoting Alexey Lyakhnovich, first deputy minister of transport and communications of Belarus.
According to Lyakhnovich, Belarus started shipping its goods under long-term-contracts to Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates using the North-South international transport corridor in spring 2022.
During 2022, some 100,000 tons of cargo was shipped from Belarus via Astrakhan ports and terminals. The nomenclature includes sawn timber, paper, chemical products, fertilizers and trucks.
Railway tariffs may account for some 60% of the entire transportation costs for Belarussian manufacturers.
Photo: Astrakhan Oblast Government web portal