External Trade
The Yaroslavl Region has a great potential for developing external ties - a most advantageous geographical and transport position, a well-developed industry and infrastructure and a complex programme of social and economic development worked out by the Regional Government. Its central element is investment policy. All that makes the Yaroslavl Region very attractive to cooperate with.
In the situation when the regions' rights to conduct external economic activities are extended, among the main objectives of the regional authorities is getting the local companies involved in external economic activities, helping and supporting them in finding new promising international markets and stimulating progressive developments in the commodity structure of local exports and imports.
Exports have traditionally been one of the most important areas of external economic activities of the Yaroslavl Region.
In order to help the local companies to find new external markets the Regional Government works in intergovernmental committees on trade and economic cooperation, through its Trade Delegates abroad and by conducting presentations of the Yaroslavl Region abroad and in the Embassies of foreign countries as well as by means of participating in exhibitions.
Among the tools of supporting the local export potentialities are the Regional Representatives in the following countries: the Republic of Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Uzbekistan.
The year 1999 saw the establishment of the Advisory Council attached to the Governor's Administration. Its purpose is to develop and perfect the external links of the Yaroslavl Region and facilitate external trade traffic.
The Yaroslavl Region is constantly broadening its trade and economic ties with the CIS and other foreign countries.
Foreign Trade Turnover
The Yaroslavl Region has been actively involved in external trade. It has trade partners in 93 countries. In 2007 more than 540 local companies participated in foreign trade. The yearly commodity turnover in 2007 increased by 20,6% and amounted to 1 059.0 bln. USD. Export orientation of the local foreign trade leads to a positive balance of the Region's trade turnover.
Most of the foreign trade turnover is conducted with CIS countries. For example in 2007 their share was 59,5%. The share of other foreign countries in the foreign trade turnover of the Yaroslavl Region is respectively 40,5%.
The main trade partners are the Republic of Belarus, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Germany and Poland. The Republic of Belarus with a 40,4% share of the local external trade turnover is a major consumer of the goods produced in the Yaroslavl Region.
Exports
The companies of the Yaroslavl Region export their produce to 77 countries. Our most significant partners are the Republic of Belarus (34.1%), the Ukraine (23.6%), Kazakhstan (11.8%), Poland (7.3%) and India (6.8%).
The biggest and still increasing share of exports is machinery - 57.7%. Another 25.6% of export volume is the produce of the local petrochemical complex. Exports of timber, food products and raw foodstuffs have been on the increase too.
Imports
The companies of the Yaroslavl Region import their produce from 66 countries. The biggest import volumes are delivered from the Republic of Belarus (27.6%), the Ukraine (20.7%), Germany (15.8%), Japan (6.4%) and Italy (5.2%).
The Yaroslavl Region imports machinery (48%), foodstuffs and raw stuffs (21%), petrochemical produce (10.7%), ferrous and nonferrous metals as well as metal produce (7.8%).
The positive balance of the external trade turnover has recently increased due to the rapidly growing exports which is conclusive evidence that the external trade of the Yaroslavl Region is export-oriented.