The agenda: Subsidies for preferential loans to farmers, a preferential lending programme for projects to create fast charging hubs for electric vehicles, and pension provision for residents in new regions.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Government meeting
Government meeting
Government meeting
Good afternoon, colleagues.
Before we turn to the Government meeting agenda, I would like to outline the key decisions taken to support the agricultural sector.
The head of state has consistently emphasised the necessity for comprehensive, systemic support for the industry, enabling agribusinesses, including smaller enterprises, to grow and expand their production.
In line with the President’s instructions, the Government has secured funding in the federal budget to facilitate farmers’ access to preferential lending.
Approximately 26.5 billion roubles will be directed towards priority areas within agriculture.
The primary focus will be seasonal fieldwork. It is evident that the sooner producers receive these funds, the sooner they can begin preparing their equipment, procuring fuel, fertiliser, and seeds. The majority of this allocation is therefore earmarked to ensure a successful sowing season.
The remainder will be allocated for short-term loans within the dairy farming sector.
The necessary measures to increase production in this area, discussed in detail during our recent strategic session, have been developed. We anticipate that this state support will enhance the resilience of our farms, help meet our milk and dairy product security objectives, and contribute to sustained strong harvests.
Allow me also to brief you on another recently signed document.
The Government is actively advancing the development of our national transport infrastructure. This commitment extends to both road construction and the expansion of our fuelling station network.
Within the automotive industry, the electric vehicle segment is growing rapidly. While imports continue, the parallel increase in domestic production is particularly significant. However, a persistent challenge remains the scarcity of rapid-charging facilities, especially along federal trunk roads.
To address this, we are establishing a new support mechanism: a dedicated subsidy. This will enable VEB.RF to issue preferential loans for the construction of charging hubs and their connection to the power grid. An initial 150 million roubles has been allocated from the federal budget for this year, with further funding to be assessed against industry demand.
Consequently, in time, our major roads will feature not only conventional fuel stations with convenience stores but also charging hubs, offering a comparable range of ancillary services.
Furthermore, investors utilising exclusively Russian-origin equipment and software will be eligible for these preferential loans. This instrument is designed to generate substantial added value within the economy and accelerate the development of domestic technologies.
Finally, turning to today’s agenda, a key item concerns support measures for residents in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
The President has tasked us with ensuring these regions attain national standards across essential sectors. This includes provisions for elderly citizens.
To that end, the Government will allocate nearly 4 billion roubles for pension payments to eligible citizens in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. These funds will ensure the provision of both standard pensions and supplementary payments for non-working pensioners whose income falls below the regional subsistence minimum during the first quarter of this year.
Meeting our social obligations is an unequivocal
priority. We must continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that citizens
in the new regions enjoy the same social guarantees available across the country.
