Russian regions' role in import substitution.
Extract from Dmitry Medvedev's remarks:
Meeting of the Government Commission on Import Substitution
Around 40 regional plans on import substitution have been approved so far. All key agencies, particularly the Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Economic Development ministries, must assist the regions in the development and implementation of import substitution plans.
A number of measures, both federal and regional, have been approved this year to support industry. We are subsidising loans and leasing payments, providing tax cuts and state guarantees, and reducing rental rates.
One of the ways to support industry is to develop industrial infrastructure and set up special areas for investors to set up production. There are some good examples of such areas in the Kaliningrad, Kaluga and Leningrad regions.
Legislation on industrial production has also been updated. Here we can cite the well-known law On Industrial Policy, and we also amended the law On Procurement of Goods, Works and Services for State Needs by Certain Types of Legal Entities. The latter amendments help regulate procurement by state companies so that they acquire predominantly Russian products.
It is not our goal to create artificial obstacles in trade. We are working to ensure that there are cutting edge high-tech enterprises in Russia, both industrial and agricultural, and that their production is in demand, both domestically and, if possible, abroad. For that we need an efficient non-oil-and-gas export system. A law was passed in July to establish as part of Vnesheconombank a Russian Export Centre that will operate as a one-stop centre to assist enterprises in entering new markets.
