Agenda: amendments to the State Programme of Agricultural Development, support measures for the fisheries and aquaculture in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, assistance to border regions.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Government meeting
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks
Government meeting
Good afternoon, colleagues.
I will begin with the decisions taken to support agriculture. The President emphasised the importance of ensuring end-to-end technology integration and using advanced solutions to simplify business operation and shift many processes to automatic mode.
Precisely this approach is stipulated in the Government resolution adjusting the State Programme of Agricultural Development. The amendments concern a number of issues which call for a precision tuning of support mechanisms based on industry requirements and the situation on our food market, in particular, increased milk production.
To help small farms, we are introducing a new grant, worth up to 265 million roubles, for the implementation of dairy farming acceleration projects. These funds can be used to increase the number of dairy cows, buy the necessary machinery and equipment, and build up the fodder base. Special conditions will also be provided to farms in our border regions, which will be able to secure state support for milk production and therefore cut their own costs.
We will also adjust a number of provisions for grant recipients. For example, their duration can be extended by 12 months for those farmers who are taking part in the special military operation, including if they previously received grants for opening small village bakeries, organising farm tourism, and implementing dairy farming acceleration projects.
In addition, we will adjust the selection standards in livestock breeding and several other provisions of the state programme. We believe that the proposed amendments will help enhance the effectiveness of the agro-industrial complex and increase agricultural output, so that our citizens choose quality domestic food products.
Another issue concerns the maintenance and development of the fisheries and aquaculture in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Many entrepreneurs working in this sector have found themselves in a difficult situation because fishing and fish-breeding in their regions entails serious risks.
Seeking to help these companies save jobs, we will allocate subsidies for three regions, namely, Crimea, Sevastopol and the Krasnodar Territory, which will help over 30 organisations reimburse part of their operating expenses. We believe that this measure will help stabilise them.
The President noted that the performance of our fishing sector has a major effect on the country’s food security, the social well-being of people in coastal regions, and the quality of our citizens’ lives. The Government will continue to support enterprises engaged in the harvesting, breeding and processing of aquatic resources.
Today, we will also discuss support measures for our border regions. The President and the Government are closely monitoring the situation there. It is important that prompt measures are taken on the ground to provide residential blocks with heating, electricity and water, ensure the full-scale operation of outpatient clinics, educational establishments, trade and public catering facilities, industrial enterprises and public transport. We also want to see professional servicing of utilities, engineering and energy systems.
Today, we will allocate nearly 3.3 billion roubles to the Belgorod Region to compensate the purchase of the necessary specialised equipment, including substations and transformers.
Colleagues, I would like to ask all the concerned ministries to maintain close contact with regional governments and to jointly address local issues.
