As part of the VII International Economic Forum of the Amber Industry, a plenary session was held at which representatives of the Rostec state corporation, the government of the Kaliningrad region and the businessmen in amber sector discussed the interim results, issues of amber export and promotion of the amber as a brand.
The session was attended by the CEO of the Kaliningrad Amber Plant Mikhail Zatsepin, deputy chairman of the government of the Kaliningrad region Dmitry Kuskov, executive director of the Rostec state corporation Oleg Evtushenko, representative of Global Solutions Limited Company Talal Al Kandari (Kuwait), deputy head of the Kaliningrad regional customs Yulia Bashkatova.
Summing up the implementation of plans in accordance with the Amber Industry Development Strategy until 2025 (adopted in 2017), the discussion participants noted the completion of almost all the necessary tasks.
Speaking about the growth in the volume of domestic processing, Zatsepin recalled the need to increase the quality of products.
“Recently, we have been paying special attention to fashion trends and increasing the level of artistic skill in the manufacture of products,” said the head of the Amber Plant.
“Our designers create trendy accessories from amber. This year we launched our own line of clothing with amber. Promotion of amber within the country and beyond its borders should be one of the main objectives of the new strategy for the amber industry.”
Executive director of the Rostec State Corporation Oleg Yevtushenko said that investments in the development of the plant over the past ten years amounted to 2.5 billion rubles.
“The Amber Plant in its current form and condition is one of the most high-tech production facilities of Rostec which uses not only the latest technologies for the extraction and processing of raw materials, but builds production processes in such a way that volumes grow annually. Production volumes have not only doubled over the past 10 years, but sales volumes of finished products have also increased from 13 to 25 tons in the last year alone. Sales markets are expanding.”
According to Oleg Yevtushenko, during the implementation of the strategy, a powerful legal, regulatory and production base for the amber industry has been created, which makes it possible to increase production volumes and confidently look at the prospects for expanding trade markets both within the country and abroad.
This was a key point in the discussion of a new strategy for the development of the amber industry in Russia.
“The key task was and remains to increase the volume of our own raw materials processing,” Yevtushenko emphasized.
“Today, in the profit structure, income from the sale of finished products is about 20%. In the new strategy, Rostec proposes to set the goal of doubling the volume of processing and profit from the sale of finished products.”
“The new strategy for the development of the amber industry until 2030 will be developed and signed by the end of 2024. Its basis will be the development and improvement of achieved results. Today in Russia there is a developed modern production, and amber production has increased to 600 tons per year. The Amber Plant, as the flagship of the industry, is engaged not only in the reconstruction and modernization of its production facilities, but is also actively developing trade relations with Russian and international partners. By the end of the year, the company plans to open three franchise stores in China, one in Hong Kong and two more in Russia,” Dmitry Kuskov noted.
At the plenary session, the thesis was also voiced that Russia represents the highest quality amber products on the world market.
Galina Semyonova for Rough&Polished, from Svetlogorsk
