Rustem Khamitov: "Russian agricultural sector is given a unique chance to develop and we will not miss it"

The head of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov believes that the agricultural sector is one of the most promising areas of the region and the country as a whole. In his interview to Itar-Tass, he explaines why the republic can do without foreign purchases and what a mega-farm means.

Rustem Khamitov noted that "agro-industrial complex for us is one of the most promising areas for development. Almost 40 percent of Bashkortostan population lives in rural areas. This situation we really consider as a chance for dynamic development of our agriculture. We still have considerable capacities for growth. We invest a lot in rural areas; our republic is among five leading agricultural producers in Russia. For example, we are one of two the largest producers of milk in the country (the volume of annual milk production in the region is 1.7 million tons).

We have a program of renovation and modernization of farms. Terms are simple – 50x50. That is, per every ruble spent by a farmer we give a ruble from the budget. During three years 186 updated livestock buildings were reconstructed and commissioned, modernization of 103 dairy farms was completed under this program. Another 87 farms are now under construction and 62 cattle-breeding complexes are applicants for participation in this program in the near future. In subsequent years, we plan to upgrade all farms that we have about 700.

In addition, we are working on attracting major investors for mega-farms construction. This is the next stage of work. Each mega-farm will produce annually 30-50 thousand tons of milk. The huge volume. This will provide a powerful development of our dairy industry. According to the plan in 2020 we should reach the level of milk production over two million tons, which corresponds to 5.6 percent of Russia's total milk production".

According to the head of the republic, Bashkortostan has "the biggest in Russia number of cattle and continues work on improving its quality."

Full text of the interview is posted on the official website of the President RB.