Share of domestic equipment in Russian food industry just over 50% - PM

MOSCOW. July 30 (Interfax) - The share of domestic equipment in Russia's food and processing industry has been growing in recent years, but it is still only a little over 50%, so manufacturers face the challenge of ramping up production and achieving technological sovereignty, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at a meeting with the founder of equipment maker OrenClip, Mikhail Ivanov.

The market for such equipment grew by a third last year thanks to the boom in the agribusiness sector, Mishustin said.

"There is growth both in key sectors, including livestock farming and meat processing, and in other promising sectors. So, demand for your products is growing. However, the objectives of developing our own production in this sector have not been achieved yet. The share of Russian equipment on our domestic market is still just over half" he said.

Asked by the prime minister what new products the company is ready to offer the agribusiness sector, Ivanov said one of the latest projects, which is being implemented with fast food chain Vkusno i Tochka and meat producer Cherkizovo Group, is production of high performance lines to make nuggets. They are 90% localized.

OrenClip is now manufacturing such lines for Vladimir-based ABI Product with capacity of 2.5-3.5 tonnes per hour.

"But with Vkusno i Tochka and Cherkizovo we want to make a line with capacity of 5 tonnes per hour. Only three companies in the world make such lines. We want to join them," Ivanov said.

The company also has plans to make lines to robotize all processes in the food industry, he said.

"Step by step we need to try to produce everything in Russia. Technological sovereignty in all sectors, particularly in ones like this, is simply a must for us," Mishustin said.

Orenburg Region-based OrenClip has been in operation since 2005. The company's equipment is used at almost 350 Russian plants, including Damate Group's lamb processing plant in Cherkessk.