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Zubkov instructs federal services to step up grain traffic in holidays

Zubkov voiced his instruction during Monday’s video-conference devoted to this year’s traffic of agricultural products

MOSCOW, November 14 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov has instructed the Federal Customs Service (FCS) and the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) to organise their activities in holidays and weekends so to intensify grain transportation.

Zubkov voiced his instruction during Monday’s video-conference devoted to this year’s traffic of agricultural products.

“We have information that Rosselkhoznadzor, FCS and Rospotrebnadzor [Russian federal supervisory agency for consumer goods] suspend their activities for weekends,” Zubkov said, adding that this hinders the country’s grain traffic.

“It is wrong!” he said, reaffirming that this season requires to intensify the grain traffic work. With this in mind, he urged the above-mentioned agencies to guarantee work in holidays and weekends.

“We are not going to violate the labour legislation, but it is necessary to organise special work schedules in the regions, where face such a need,” the first deputy prime minister said.

A FCS representative, in turn, said that this service has a possibility to organise both 12-hour and 24-hour working day. At the same time, the service should receive bids from agricultural producers.

Zubkov told representatives of the aforesaid services to instruct their employees to work in holidays and weekends, if they have the bids of the kind from agricultural producers.

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