Minsk, Belarus, August 21, 2012—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is supporting  Belarus’ leading ice-cream and deserts producer, Morozprodukt, as it implements an internationally-recognized food safety management system, helping the company break into new markets and creating jobs in the country’s developing export sector.
 
The advisory services agreement, signed today, is expected to help Morozprodukt ramp up production and branch out into Europe. The firm, which is also a major importer of frozen foods, is the first Belarusian company to receive in-depth advice and support from the IFC Belarus Food Safety Project. Five other food production companies will receive similar support. Increasing exports is regarded as key to the country’s continued economic development.  

“With IFC’s help we will effectively implement the food safety management system at our new production plant and also at a logistics center,” said Sergey Dobudko, Morozprodukt’s General Director. “It will help us increase production volumes, create new jobs, enter the European market, and also become an ice-cream supplier for the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014.”

Olga Sherbina, Project Manager for IFC’s Food Safety Project in Belarus, said, “Helping Morozprodukt implement internationally-recognized food safety standards will enhance the company’s position in its core domestic market and provide new export opportunities. This will demonstrate to the entire sector the competitive advantages that an efficient food safety management system can provide.”  

IFC’s Food Safety Advisory Project is being implemented in Belarus in partnership with the Austrian Ministry of Finance. In addition to Belarus, IFC is also helping to improve food safety in the Western Balkans, Armenia, Georgia, and Ukraine.

About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, mobilizing capital in international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments. In FY12, our investments reached an all-time high of more than $20 billion, leveraging the power of the private sector to create jobs, spark innovation, and tackle the world’s most pressing development challenges. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

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For more information about Morozprodukt, please visit http://moroz.by/rus/about