New Year - new projects

- Why does the Corporation work so actively with agricultural projects?

- Issues of food security of the region are extremely critical now. Their relevance has just grown since the moment of Russia’s access to WTO. In modern agriculture all projects are capital intensive and long-payback. That is why the task of launching agro-industrial projects was set in front of the Corporation in its capacity as the development institute.

Growth of a range of indicators of agriculture development was noted in the Samara region despite their declining in PFD. It is necessary to make all possible efforts to prevent the positive trend predetermined in the current year from falling.

- How is the construction of dairy farms, which the Governor told about in his message to Samara Regional Duma and residents of the region, going?

- As I have already mentioned, Corporation is implementing the project on establishing two stock breeding complexes for 2.4 thousand heads of milking herd each. Specialists of the Corporation together with independent experts and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Samara region developed business-plans of the projects. Some technological solutions offered by the initiator of the project were significantly improved, which will allow the cost of construction to be reduced by 20%.

Designing is in the process now, and in the nearest future competitive procedure for selection of equipment suppliers will be announced. The most advanced technologies will be used on a farm, which will make possible to produce milk of the highest quality.

- What else do you expect from establishing farms?

- It would be wrong to reduce the results of construction of stock breeding complexes just to creation of new work places and tax revenue. Projects have not only economic but also social significance. They allow us to solve employment issues and issues on retaining young specialists, who now want to work in cities, to rural areas. Personal subsidiary plots and peasant farm enterprises will be engaged in the project and they will be provided with more than 1 thousand heads of 2 months bull calf s for feeding every year. That might change the structure of agricultural production in the areas of farms location.

In this context, livestock breeding is a driving force for rural areas. And, finally, the main effect we would like to achieve is to reduce the deficit of milk.

- Consolidation of necessary land plots is one of the key questions in agricultural projects. How does the Corporation solve it?

- Issues related to land are relevant for implementation of all investment projects. Corporation deals with large-scale agricultural projects that require large cultivation areas in order to provide enough forage.

We have experience in consolidation of land plots for poultry factory construction. Now the same work is being carried out for dairy farms. Questions that are to be solved during the registration of land plots are typical for the whole industry: among them are overlapping of land plots boundaries on cadastral maps, nuances of land shares, protected zones etc. Although it is a big job, it’s quite realizable if carried out persistently and systematically. However, it causes misunderstanding and displeasure when land owners overrate the prices for land plots. Corporation, as a development institute, has no intention to encourage such speculations.

- What other problems does the Corporation face?

- The main problem is a poor quality of preparation of the projects offered by initiators. Besides that, investor must adequately evaluate its abilities and be able to fulfill accepted obligations.

- What projects, apart from agricultural, does the Corporation participate in?

- Currently, the Corporation is actively involved in developing of the projects in the field of high technologies, transport and logistics infrastructure and others.

- What, according to your opinion, sets the Corporation apart from other development institutes?

- It is difficult to distinguish only one success factor. Efforts of the regional government and Samara Regional Duma are worth to be noted. They try to find possibilities for co-financing of the projects even in the economically difficult periods.

Board of directors of the Corporation chaired by the Governor and consisted of ministers of agriculture, construction, economic development, property relations as well as heads of Vnesheconombank, allows the Corporation to synchronize its activities with regional authorities and the bank as early as at the stage of project preparation.

Specialists of the Corporation have a real (not “cabinet”) experience in structuring and implementation of the projects. Participation of high qualified and keen specialists in the projects is a ticket to success during the achieving by the Corporation its goals.

- If the Corporation has such an exceptional team, wouldn’t it be reasonable to scale acquired experience?

-In 2014, the Samara region together with Agency of strategic initiatives will continue its work on increasing the investment attractiveness of the region, including by means of working with investors in “single window” mode. Corporation, which business reputation has been approved by the structuring, packaging and implementation of the large-scale projects, may undertake this mission.

- What other expectations does the Corporation have for 2014?

- In 2014, we will start construction of dairy farms, begin preparation of cultivation areas for forage base. Construction of poultry factory will continue and reconstruction of bio-gas plant in Sergievsky district will be started. Within the preparation of Samara for FIFA World Cup 2018, an old building located in Vilonovskata Street will be handed to Corporation for restoration – we will directly participate in restoration of historical part of the city.