Delegations from 25 countries including representatives of 15 embassies of and diplomatic missions of foreign countries will attend the Fifth Lida-Region exhibition-presentation. The event is due on 24-26 July, it was learnt from the economy department of the Lida regional executive committee. 

Participating in the exhibition will be 110 companies including 26 industrial companies from other regions of the Grodno oblast. This year the number of small businesses showcasing their products at the exhibition has increased, the economy department said. 

The third international economic forum “International and Regional Cooperation: Programmes and Areas of Development” will be held within the framework of the exhibition. 

The presentation promotes cooperation between the Lida region and regions of other countries, the economy department said. For the past five years that the exhibition has been held the Lida region has signed 11 agreements on economic and cultural cooperation with the towns and regions of foreign countries. The Lida-Region trading house has opened in Moscow . Its annual turnover amounts to $3 million. Some 47 companies involving Russian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish, American, German, Danish, Italian and Austrian capital operate in the Lida region. Joint and foreign companies employ around 2,000 people. 

According to experts, the establishment of the branch of the Grodnoinvest free economic zone in Lida in March 2009 has made this region more attractive for investors. Currently the Lida branch includes the Optik Plant with the investment project “Technical upgrade of optical production” and Haver VU Gauze Factory. In the near future the company processing oil-containing crops (invested by Russia’s Sodruzhestvo) will soon register with the Lida branch. 

The Lida region industry features 40 large companies employing 20,000 people or 40% of the overall working population. Monthly output amounts to Br120 billion; around one third of the production is exported to more than 50 states. The share of new products in the overall manufacture comes up to more than 20% annually.

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