Президент Беларуси посетил сегодня «Камволь». Панорама

Kamvol is the largest enterprise in the CIS today, and just a few decades ago, one of the most important in the entire former Soviet Union. Back then, the fabrics from the Minsk mill were something of a "Belarusian brand." But technology advanced, and the enterprise inherited from the ruins of the Soviet Union could no longer compete with global manufacturers. The financial difficulties of the 1990s—and the near-100% depreciation of equipment by the 2000s—were afflicted. Back then, many skeptics thought it would be simpler to abandon this burden on the budget altogether. But the foundation, the school, and, most importantly, the personnel remained. Our President's strict demand was not to let this production slip through the cracks, but to develop it. And in recent years, this issue has been under the personal control of the head of state. 2012 could be called a turning point, when, seeing the conditions under which the valuable team was working and the mismanagement that reigned in the workshops, Alexander Lukashenko promised that Kamvol would be restored. It took five difficult years. Management changed, the modernization process was difficult, and the plant's renovation cost the country over a hundred million dollars. Nevertheless, the tangled web of problems was untangled. Today, Kamvol is ready to produce modern and competitive woolen fabrics. Next year, the plant will be able to produce 4.5 million linear meters of fabric. Later, it plans to reach its design capacity of 6 million. But the President has instructed not to rest on its laurels, but to increase production. Modernization is only the first step in developing one of the key enterprises in the light industry. For now, the common thread in the woolen fabric industry remains the issue of sales, as the market is large and competition is fierce. Natalia Breus reports on the inside and outside of Belarusian wool.