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Russia, South Korea set up joint committee for agriculture

The ministers attended a conference of agriculture ministers of countries

KAZAN, the Republic of Tatarstan, May 30 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fedorov and South Korean Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries on Wednesday signed a memorandum on setting up the first Russian-Korean committee for agriculture.

The ministers attended a conference of agriculture ministers of countries, members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, who met in Kazan on Wednesday as part of preparations for the 2012 APEC summit in Vladivostok to discuss food security in the Pacific Rim states.

“Russia attaches great importance to developing agrarian cooperation with the Republic of Korea,” Fedorov said.

He noted that Russia had increased its export of food and agricultural stuff to South Korea by 14.1 percent since 2010. Russian exports have reached 968 million dollars while South Korean exports to Russia stand at 124.2 million dollars.

Fedorov praised the veterinary services in two countries for close interaction in the provision of safe delivery of agricultural products. He also noted progress in implementing joint agrarian projects in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District.

The Memorandum also provides for expansion of bilateral cooperation and information sharing on internal and external policy to develop the agro-industrial complex and agricultural territories in both countries. The two sides will exchange experience and agrarian experts.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fedorov paid a visit to a new modern agro-industrial estate, the first of its kind in the Volga region, which is being built in Tatarstan’s capital Kazan.

Fedorov praised the new facility. “This is a brilliant project. You are simply doomed to success,” Fedorov said after visiting the construction site.

The minister said that the location had been well chosen. The agricultural facility is being built in Kazan’s southern outskirt near an international equestrian center and the densely populated residential neighborhood Gorki. Merchant rows, storage facilities and workshops for processing meat, milk, fruit and vegetables are being erected under a roof on a total area of 50, 000 square meters. Peasants and farmers will also have a hotel, a caf· and office premises at their disposal.

Ildar Khalikov, the prime minister of Tatarstan, said that the agrarian estate was fundamentally different from dozens of markets operating in the city.

“Agricultural producers will be the owners here. They will sell their produce themselves without any intermediaries,” the prime minister said. This will pay off twice: prices will be much lower while the products will be of high quality because they will be fresh and impeccable in environmental terms.

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