The first harvest of the new agricultural enterprises

Alexey Ostrovskiy continues a series of visits to the municipalities of Smolensk region. This time the Governor went to Rodomanovskoe rural settlement of the Gagarin district, where he visited one of the leading agricultural companies in the region – CJSC "Agro-Industrial company "Nasha Zhitnitsa", which was started up with the active support of the local authorities in 2013.

Last summer, Alexey Ostrovskiy already visited the enterprise – then it was a period of preparation for the construction of a modern complex of processing and storing grain with the production capacity of 30 tons/hour, and one-time storage capacity of 12,000 tons of grain. In addition to the creation of the complex, the enterprise investment project involves the construction of dairy complex for 1,200 cows (with the total number of 3,200 heads of cattle) to produce marketable milk with subsequent downstream processing and the creation of crop base by cultivating 8,000 hectares of fallow land. The total volume of the investment, including equity and borrowed funds, amounts to 1.5 billion rubles.

The project is being implemented in three stages. The first stage (2013-2014) involves the creation of the crop base with the subsequent crop production and selling, as well the construction of a modern complex of grain processing and storage. The second stage (2015-2017) involves the construction of dairy complex with a robotic form of milking, and the third stage (2016-2018) involves setting up the own dairy processing and the construction of the milk plant.

Since the beginning of the operation of the company the total investment in its setting up and development has already amounted to more than 330 million rubles. Now the company that employs more than 50 people is constructing the machinery facility and the drying postharvest grain complex KZSV-30.

The Head of the region, accompanied by the ideological inspirer of the project the pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexei Leonov, the investors Alexei Kalinin and Sergei Radchenko, the Director of the "Agro-Industrial company "Nasha Zhitnitsa” Yuri Kuzin, visited the facilities of the enterprise.

Last year "Nasha Zhitnitsa" acquired 35 units of agricultural equipment for the sum of 37.5 million rubles. Modern technical equipment allowed the company to sow 1,500 hectares with winter crops. In 2014 the area with the spring sowing together with the winter sowing was 3,524 hectares. As of August, 18 1,840 hectares were harvested (52% of the total area of the crops), 6,500 tons of grain were thrashed (47% of the regional total rate). Grain yield was 35.3 c/ha, which is 27% higher than the district average figure. In addition, the company has built and put into operation the elevator for 12 thousand tons of one-time storage.

After the tour of the production facilities Alexey Ostrovskiy was invited to the festival of the “first bread”, dedicated to the harvest time. This festival emphasizes the great role which bread plays in the life of each person. At the festival it was noted that since the ancient times this product has been not only a measure of social welfare, but also of a person’s conscience: bread and salt were the first things given to the friends to welcome them, the enemy was fought to death to protect the bread, bread, as the mother’s name, was the seal of the oath.

For the sown grain to become bread and come to our table, people of nearly 120 professions do their work. The festival of the “fist bread” pays tribute to the wisdom of the agriculture workers, prudent attitude to land, hard work, persistence and patience that deserve universal respect and the highest recognition.

The cosmonauts Sergei and Alexander Volkov, Yuri Gagarin’s niece - Tamara Filatova were also invited to the festival.

At the ceremony Alexey Ostrovskiy awarded diplomas of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the Letters of Appreciation from the Governor to the outstanding specialists of the agricultural sector of the region.