The Day of the Agriculture and a Processing Industry Worker was celebrated in Kazan

(KZN.RU, October 5). Agriculture is a main branch of the economy and the basis of the country's food security. Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, announced this today at a ceremony for the Day of the Agriculture and a Processing Industry Worker, which took place at the site of the Kazan Tennis Academy.

Mintimer Shaimiev, the State Councilor of the RT, Alexey Pesoshin, the prime minister of the RT, Farid Mukhametshin, the chairman of the State Council of the RT, Asgat Safarov, the head of the Presidential Administration of the RT, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, Marat Akhmetov, the deputy prime minister of the RT and the minister of Agriculture and Food of the RT, leaders of the advanced regions, the best machine operators, and veterans of the industry also took part in the event.

In a welcoming speech, Rustam Minnikhanov noted that 11% of the country's gross regional product falls to agriculture and the food industry. Tatarstan is among the leaders of the Russian subjects and the first position in the Volga Federal District in terms of gross agricultural output.

According to the President of the RT, the republic managed to preserve its potential and collect a worthy harvest this year, more than 5 million tons of grain, despite the unfavorable weather conditions of recent years. “We also expect a record harvest of sugar beets in the history of Tatarstan: over 2.8 million tons. But there is an opportunity to increase this figure to 3 million. The republic holds the position of a recognized leader in dairy cattle breeding. In 2017, gross production of milk will make over 1.8 million tons with the growth of 2.2%, about 500 thousand tons of meat of cattle and poultry will be produced”, said R. Minnikhanov.

He marked that Tatarstan today is one of the few regions of the country, the agro-industrial complex of which provides the population with the main products while delivering significant volumes to other regions of Russia. The products of the republican commodity producers are becoming more and more competitive. “This is the result of hard work and well-coordinated actions of thousands of agronomists, livestock breeders, machine operators, veterinarians, and those who ensure the food self-sufficiency of our region. Our people are the main value of the village!”, said Rustam Minnikhanov.

The President noted that great attention in Tatarstan is paid to the development of small forms of management.

Active work on the implementation of major investment projects is being carried out in the country. In 2017, the construction and the modernization of livestock facilities, grain elevators, and greenhouses continue. The infrastructure of storage and processing of agricultural products is developing. This year, a program for their construction in rural areas was launched.

“In recent years, special attention has been paid to improving the quality of life in the countryside, developing territories, creating a modern social infrastructure. In total, 37 programs operate, and most of them are oriented to the countryside. Educational and sports facilities, roads, medical institutions, and cultural facilities are being built there. This work will be continued in the future years”, added the President.

Rustam Minnikhanov addressed special words of gratitude to industry veterans, power engineers, machine builders, and transport workers. Especially, the President noted the villagers for holding weekly fairs in the cities. Then he presented state awards of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Mintimer Shaimiev also congratulated the workers of agriculture and processing industry, noting that the current record harvesting figures will undoubtedly go down in history. Alexander Tkachev, the Minister of Agriculture of the RF, congratulated the Tatarstan industry workers on a professional holiday. He noted that Tatarstan has traditionally been one of the most developed regions of the Russian Federation that are part of the Volga Federal District.

“The selfless labor of agricultural producers of the Republic annually ensures the needs of the population, food, and processing industries in food and raw materials. This year, the agrarians of the republic once again confirmed the high level of agricultural production. The Ministry of Agriculture of Russia congratulates all farmers working in the Republic of Tatarstan on a great harvest. Your professionalism and skills of agrarians with daily work on the development of agricultural technologies and the introduction of new promising developments in production will allow keeping agricultural producers of the republic a high level of crop production in the future, becoming a reliable basis for food security of the Russian Federation”, cites the Tatarstan Government Portal.