Agricultural production in Russia up 10% - Zubkov
MOSCOW. Oct 4 (Interfax) - Russia has been able to maintain growth in all types of agricultural production and general growth has already reached 10% in 2011, First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said in an interview published by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper Tuesday.
"General agricultural production growth has already reached 10% this year," he said.
The grain harvest may top 90 million tonnes and there will be good harvests for potatoes, soy, sunflower seeds, corn and sugarbeet.
The figures indicate that the sector has successfully overcome the slump that arose due to two years of abnormal heat and drought, he said.
The success is largely due to the government policy carried out in agriculture over the past few years, Zubkov said. Various important documents have been passed and most importantly since 2006 there has been a priority national project on the development of the agriculture complex, which in 2008 became a five-year government program to develop the industry.
Investment in agriculture has exceeded 1.5 trillion rubles in the past five-six years, the deputy prime minister said.
"In the last two years alone, 250 livestock farming facilities have been built and reconstructed. There are now 117 investment projects being carried out in pig farming. Pork production could reach 1.5 million tonnes by 2015," he said.
The Russian agriculture industry needs to increase grain production. It has the basic resources to do so - land, water and, most importantly, unique human potential, he said.
Grain needs to be sold, primarily, on the domestic market, Zubkov said.
"We have ambitious plans before us to speed up the development of all types of livestock farming. Domestic demand volumes will constantly grow," the deputy prime minister said.
There are also plans to develop the infrastructure for storage and transportation and to increase Russia's export potential not just for grain but for grain products such as flour, cereals and fodder.
Increasing production volumes is not possible without social development solutions, Zubkov said.
"A long-term rural territory development strategy to 2020 was approved this year. We plan to significantly upgrade educational, medical and transport infrastructure in the countryside. Particular attention will be paid to gasification," he said.