Strategic goal of Ministry of Agriculture RB - to enter top five Russian agricultural regions

UFA, 17 February 2016. /Bashinform News Agency,Ksenia Kalinina/. On February 16, an enlarged meeting summarizing the activities of the agro-industrial complex of Bashkortostan for 2015 was held at the Ministry of Agriculture RB, where the tasks for the current year were set and preparations for the spring sowing campaign were discussed.

The Minister of Agriculture RB Nikolai Kovalenko delivered a detailed report on progress in agro-industrial complex of the region. According to him, last year the department activity was focused on increasing efficiency of the agricultural sector. As a result, the agricultural production index rose by 3.2 percent while the national average growth rate was 2.5 percent. Most of the growth was attributable to crop growing (plus 7.3 percent). In animal husbandry the rates were lower - 0.2 percent.

In 2015, of the 702 large and medium-sized agricultural enterprises 93 percent of farms completed the year with a profit (in 2014 - 89). The Minister noted that the amount of revenues increased by 13 percent and amounted to 42 billion rubles, profit doubled and exceeded 4 billion rubles. Productivity increased by 31 percent and amounted to 992 thousand rubles. The size of the average wage increased by 21 percent and reached 15 700 rubles.

"We evaluated our resource potential and set a strategic goal: over the five years to enter the top five agricultural regions of Russia. To do this we need to produce an annual output of not less than 230 billion rubles, that is to have at least one and a half times growth by 2020", stressed the Minister.