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Inter-agency working group to discuss 2011 agro projects

Within the first nine months of this year, agricultural output grew by 15.9 percent

MOSCOW, November 10 (Itar-Tass) — The interagency working group (IWG) under the presidentialcommission on the implementation of national priority projects and demographic policy meets here on Thursday to discuss the results of the implementation of the national priority project "The Development of the Agri-Industrial Sector (APK)", as well as ways and mechanisms for creating good starting conditions for the realization of a new State programme for the development of APK in the period ending in 2020, an offcial at the Secretariat of First Vice-Premier Viktor Zubkov (head of the IWG) has told journalists.

Within the first nine months of this year, agricultural output grew by 15.9 percent. Grain yield amounted to more than 97 million tonnes. Almost 40 million tonnes of sugar beet have been harvested. The harvest of other crops also increased. The production of pork and poultry-meat grew by five and 11.4 percent respectively.

The secretariat official pointed out that the supply of horned cattle grew within the January-September period. Through the channels of the Rosagroleasing organiztion alone, over 40,00 head of cattle were received, which was 33.3 percent higher than the yearly plan indicator. This year saw an increase in horned cattle deliveries, the largest-scale ones in Rosagroleasing history, to the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts -- 32.4 percent of the entire amount.

According to the regions of the Russian Federation, the amount of subsidized credits attracted to APK within the nine months of 2011 was 379,300 million roubles. Rosselkhozbank (agriculture bank) accounts for about a half of the amount of credits. The secretariat official emphasized that these indicators had been achieved due to the adequate response by the sector and agrobusiness tothe timely State support measures, both organizational and financial ones. In particular, the amount of additional financial resources from the Federal budger in 2010-2011 ran at over 120,000 million roubles. As a result of that, the secror managed to overcome the consequences of he economic downturn of 2008-2009 and the ensuing droughts of 2009 and 2010, as well as to avoid steep price fluctuations on the food market in 2011.

The IWG was set up in accordance with a presidential decree in September 2010. The Group includes the heads of Federal and regional executive and legislative power bodies, and members of relevant unions, scientific and business communities.

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