September 15, 2011

Aid for Russia dairy cattle up 40%

Russia's Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik reports increment of 40% on federal aid for the development of dairy cattle.

Being one of the basic sector in agriculture and an important field in ensuring the country's food security, the federal budget has allocated US$593 million for the development of dairy livestock. Skrynnik said that they shall continue implementing projects aimed at boosting production of milk and dairy products.

According to the minister, the situation at the domestic milk market is stable on the whole. This was largely preconditioned by implementing economically important regional programmes on development of dairy cattle. At the same time, taking into account the fact that under the doctrine of food security, Russia is to provide itself with milk by 90%, much should be done as yet, the minister emphasised.

An agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Bashkortostan Republic was one of the important moves in this direction. The document provides for cooperation in working out and implementing the economically important republican programme "Development of dairy cattle and increase in milk production. All-out modernisation of 500 dairy commercial farms in the Bashkortostan Republic in 2012-2016". The minister noted that the country built 420 new complexes and farms for milk production over the past five years as well as modernised and reconstructed 1,371 facilities.