Minsk Free Economic Zone provides 1.7% of GDP and 30,000 jobs

Free economic zones provide 18.5% of the country's industrial production and 21% of the export of goods. The total contribution of all FEZs to the GDP of Belarus is about 5%, of which the share of FEZ Minsk accounts for 1.7%, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.

FEZ Minsk is one of the largest investment entities in the system of public-private partnership. There are 103 enterprises, 82% of which are private. In addition, 8-10 new residents are registered annually. As Anatoly Kalinin, head of the administration of the Minsk FEZ, noted in an interview with SB.BY, today these are successfully developing companies that have been operating for about 30 years.

The FEZ employs 30 thousand people in such areas as mechanical engineering, electronics, metalworking, production of building materials, woodworking and pharmaceuticals.

Every year, residents of the Minsk FEZ produce products worth 12 billion BYN, with a significant part - from 70 to 90% - being exported. Tax revenues from enterprises of the zone grow by 10% annually. In addition, a thousand jobs are created here every year.

For 2025, the volume of investments in the Minsk FEZ amounted to about 700 million BYN, of which more than $200 million was from foreign investors.

The state system of preferences provided residents with a reduction in financial costs up to 40%, which was a key factor in their financial stability at the start. With state support in 1 BYN, a private enterprise returns 6-10 BYN through investments and the creation of new jobs, Kalinin said.

Residents are actively engaged in import substitution: 37 enterprises have mastered the production of high-tech products - from cars and electric vehicles to medicines and medical equipment.

The enterprises of FEZ "Minsk" are actively implementing robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. As Kalinin noted, almost every company is equipped with modern robotic lines and CNC machines.

In addition, the government target of 100 robots per 10,000 jobs has already been achieved in several factories. Some enterprises also successfully implement artificial intelligence at all stages of production.