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British-born farmer keen to sell his dairy produce at his own shop in Russia

On Thursday the farmer took part in the annual question and answer session with Vladimir Putin and asked him about hard life of milk producers in Russia

John Kopiski Alexey Druzhinin/Russian president's press service/TASS

John Kopiski

© Alexey Druzhinin/Russian president's press service/TASS

VLADIMIR, April 17. /TASS/. Russian farmer of British origin John Kopiski plans to launch sales of his produce - meet and cheese - through retailers in the central Russian Vladimir region and then open up his own shop, he told TASS on Friday.

"It’s difficult now. We may sell our cheese through a local retail chain in the Vladimir region and are now in the process of negotiating a contract with them and with a culinary studio in the city of Vladimir as well," said Kopiski, owner of a large farm in the Vladimir region. "Customers can buy online and then take their orders home."

In the future, the 65-year-old farmer is going to open up his own shop, selling farm produce in the city of Vladimir. Earlier, his incessant attempts to become a supplier of local shops and supermarkets had been abortive, he said.

Born in the United Kingdom, John Kopiski has been living in Russia since 1990s. After he had been granted Russia’s citizenship, Kopiski set up a farm in the regional town of Petushki and now heads the Rozhdestvo (Christmas) farm.

On Thursday the farmer took part in the annual question and answer session officially known as Direct Line with Vladimir Putin. He asked the head of state about hard life of milk producers in Russia.

Replying the peasant (as Kopiski calls himself), the president did not rule out subsidies for domestic milk production would be increased.

"Of course, we will have to step up support [to milk producers] and I think the government will have to do it - to boost support in this concrete sector - if we want to have our own dairy production," Putin said.

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