Working visit of the Governor to the Demidov district

During the working visit to the Demidov district Sergey Antufiev has visited the municipal enterprise restored to life «Agrarnik». He has got acquainted with fodder conservation and has visited a farm, where elite forage-fed cows from Poland were delivered.

Today more than 60 % of the fodder: 1 500 tons of hay, 500 tons of the haylage, 1 200 tons of the silage were conserved. Rape crops have appeared in the structure of the feeding. The livestock and major equipment is financed by the regional authorities: 260 heads of the pedigree cattle is already bought this year, 200 of them – elite cows, delivered from Poland, 60 – from the cooperative «Radischevo» of Gagarin district. In the middle of September 150 heads more will appear there. This year the new silo combine will be bought, next week - new grain harvester combine is going to be bought. More than 160 persons have been working in the farm. 50 working places have been opened this year.

According to Djambuli Beridze, who became leader of the failed farm, three years ago the municipal enterprise «Agrarnik» was on the verge of bankruptcy: «The farm was deserted, but the Governor has appropriated five million roubles, so we made a repair. We had old equipment, but every year we buy new equipment, besides, this year the Administration made a decision to assign means for the equipment purchase. Today it will be impossible to hold the farm without the budget policy. Taking into consideration of milk prices and high prices of equipment and electric power, rare farms could run business without state budget».

In 2009 five millions roubles were assigned from the regional budget to develop the municipal enterprise «Agrarnik», 11 millions – in 2010: 6 millions – from the regional budget, 5 millions – from the reserve fund.

The head of the region has told about his impressions of the first visit of the milk farm in Medvedki village: «Three years ago people here did not know what to do for a living. Alexander Semenov the head of the Administration of Demidov district has rang me: if you do not help us we will lose not only the farm but the district agriculture in whole. I arrived, we look round the farm, the situation was uneasy, but I saw a desire of people to work. The head of the farm has told me that the farm will survive if the authority gives its support. Today 160 persons have been working here, a new farm is running, elite cattle has been bought, and we want to have six and more thousands kilograms of the milk yield per one forage-fed cow annually. It is obvious that the method we have chosen in the development of agriculture of Smolensk region realized by support program of agricultural complex and program for purchase of agricultural technique which provides refunding of the half of the cost is turned out to be right. And when people who live and work in the village see this system support, they renew farming».

Sergey Antufiev shared with journalists his thoughts: «Today I saw viable enterprise, employed workers, cattle and experienced top-manager. It turned out, that big deals are well within the Smolensk people range. It is necessary to give confidence and support on time to achieve a result. Agriculture of Smolensk region should be on the top. But we should not forget that agriculture is a setup for every third person in Smolensk. It is important to give support not only small-sized farms but big and medium-sized ones to provide ourselves with quality product».