The Polatsk Dairy Plant will be handed over to Savushkin Product. This was announced by Chair of the Council of the Republic Natallia Kachanava during today’s visit to the enterprise.
“In accordance with the instructions of the president of our country regarding the Polatsk Dairy Plant, an absolutely correct and well-considered decision was made. A major dairy processor, and not only a dairy processor, will come here. This is Savushkin Product, an enterprise known not only in our country but far beyond its borders.
And we made such a decision that together with the management of this enterprise and the leadership of the Vitsyebsk region, we would meet with the workforce so that there would be no gossip or rumors. We want to come and tell people face-to-face what awaits them in the future. And today the prospects are certainly excellent.
When we see how effectively the enterprises that are part of the Savushkin Product holding work. In general, our country has super-modern technologies, super-modern production facilities, an excellent social package for employees and достойная заработная плата: around 4,000 rubles (editor’s note) and already more than 10,000 people working there. And what the investor is offering for this Polatsk Dairy Plant is to carry out a complete reconstruction of the enterprise in the shortest possible time, literally by the New Year.
This will be a super-modern enterprise that will produce practically the same products it produces now. But it will be a different story, with different salaries and, of course, different working conditions for employees. Our goal was to tell people directly that no one has forgotten about them, that everyone is dealing with this issue. We tried and looked for different options. But unfortunately, there are no other options. But the most important thing that investors promised today is, above all, that jobs will be preserved for those who currently work at this enterprise”, Kachanava said.
In February 2025, she had already visited Polatsk to deal with the problems of the local dairy enterprise. At that time, she was accompanied by Mikhail Rusy and Leanid Zayats. The delegation acknowledged that the Polatsk Dairy Plant was in the most difficult situation in the sector. Kachanava promised to report the results of the trip to Lukashenka.
In February this year, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, during a meeting on the development of the Vitsyebsk region, said that he had instructed businessmen Yauhen Baskin and Alyaksandr Mashenski, as well as Agrokombinat Dziarzhynsky Director General Uladzimir Lukyanau, to deal with integration structures.
It has not been specified exactly how the transfer of the Polatsk plant to Savushkin Product will be formalized.
It should be noted that Savushkin Product, owned by Alyaksandr Mashenski, is not taking over a troubled enterprise for the first time. In 2018, the Orsha Dairy Plant came under the control of Savushkin Product. Before that, Lukashenka had instructed Mashenski to modernize the Orsha Dairy Plant and put it on a stable footing.
Last year, Savushkin-Orsha LLC was merged into Savushkin Product, which affected the financial results of the country’s largest dairy company. Its revenue for 2025 increased by 28.3% to 5.01 billion rubles, while net profit jumped by 84.2% to 572.5 million rubles.
The Polatsk Dairy Plant cannot boast such success. Last year, its revenue increased by 7.7% to 274 million rubles. However, its net loss increased 8.9-fold to 28.9 million rubles. The Polatsk enterprise has been loss-making for several years in a row.
It is worth recalling that during this decade the Polatsk Dairy Plant has undergone several reorganizations. In 2022, Vitsyebsk-based Milk OJSC was merged into it. It should be noted that before the merger, the Polatsk Dairy Plant made a profit of 6.42 million rubles in 2021. At the end of 2023, Shumilina Cheese Plant OJSC and Navalukoml Cottage Cheese Plant OJSC, which had previously been merged into Vitsyebsk Milk, were spun off from the Polatsk Dairy Plant. After that, the Shumilina enterprise was transferred to Verkhniadzvinsk Butter and Cheese Plant, while the Navalukoml enterprise went to the Pastavy Dairy Plant.
