Bragin district

The district covers the area of 1,962 km2. The district borders two districts of Gomel Oblast and Chernigov and Kiev oblasts of Ukraine. The southeast corner of Gomel Oblast lies wedgewise at the confluence of the rivers of Dnieper and Pripyat.
Bragin district has a rich and centuries-old history. The settlements of Neanderthals and Drehovichs as well as historical monuments and sites of primitive people were found in the district. There are 12 sites of ancient settlement, 230 grave-mounds, four sites with numerous unmounded and mounded graves most of which belong to the early Iron Age and date back to the first millennium B.C. – dawn of the first millennium C.E.
Thirteen “drops” of meteorite shower were found in the district. The weight of certain samples reaches 70 kg and their total is 857.8 kg. The researchers named these meteorites “Bragin”. One of their fragments can be seen in the Bragin museum.

In Bragin district, there are five peat deposits with overall 41.9 million tons of peat (including the Pogonyanskoye deposit – 18.5 million tons and the Bragin deposit – 6.7 million tons), and three deposits of brick materials – 0.2 million m3.
One of the riches of the district is the forest. Komarin Forestry GLKhU is responsible for its development and use.

As a result of Chernobyl disaster in 1986, the entire territory of Bragin district was contaminated, 53 settlements were relocated, nine of which were buried. The population of the district was 11.9 thousand in the beginning of 2017, including urban population – 5.4 thousand and rural population – 6.5 thousand. The number of employed is 5.1 thousand. The share of employed is 42.8%, including: industry – 8%; agriculture – 35%; services – 10%.

The type of economic complex is agrarian. The main specialization and basis of the economy of Bragin district within Gomel Oblast is agriculture which specializes in livestock and crop production. Seven open-stock companies and 17 peasant farms are busy in agricultural production in the district.
The largest actors in the economy are:
 Braginskoe KZhUP which works to ensure the smooth operation of the town and district housing and utilities, and to provide the population and legal persons with the necessary housing and communal services. The enterprise employs 250 people.
 Malozhinskiy OAO is the largest agricultural enterprise in the district. It specializes in production of cereals, grain legumes, feed and technical crops, milk, and meat. In the field of crop production, the industry is focused on the introduction of progressive technologies and the improvement of land use efficiency. The planned modernization of the livestock-raising facilities and the upgrading of equipment allow the farm to increase production and improve the quality of products.
 The Bragin District Consumer Society is a trade and catering enterprise that makes more than 50% of the district's turnover.
 Logging is the main activity of the private unitary enterprise for the provision of forwarder services “Forwarder”. The enterprise is involved in wood processing and exports goods.

47% of the population is employed in private sector. The number of small enterprises (16-100 persons) and microorganizations (up to 15 person) is 45 pcs. (340 employed persons). Agro-ecotourism is being actively developing in the district.

In 2016, two investment projects for the construction of solar power plants were implemented in Bragin district. Investment in the projects amounted to 32 million USD (including 28.5 million USD of foreign investment). Power plants occupy an area of about 50 hectares and their nominal rating power reaches 24.5 MW.
The district is involved in international cooperation.
 Agreements of cooperation have been reached with the administration of Gagarin district of the South-Western Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia, in commercial and economic and humanitarian and cultural fields, and with Bakhmach District Administration of Chernigov Oblast of Ukraine on trade and economic, scientific and technical and cultural cooperation.
 A treaty of friendship has been signed with the city of Nikelino (Italy).

PROJECT FACTSHEET

Local Economic Development Plan 2019-2020