YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, August 2. /TASS/. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev has held a session devoted to ensuring national security in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the press service of the Russian Security Council said on Tuesday.
"In particular, among topics on the agenda were measures to neutralize energy security threats and fighting against criminal activities in the fuel and energy sphere," the press service said.
Problems of assuring Russia’s energy security acquire special significance amid the sanctions the West subjects this country to, Nikolai Patrushev, said at a field session of the Council.
"The energy sector ensures the functioning of all branches of the national economy," he said. "In many respects, it predetermines the financial and economic capabilities of this country."
"In a situation where the West applies sanctions to Russia and where competition in the oil and gas sector is extremely tough, the issues related to energy security require particular significance,’ Patrushev said.
Power engineering equipment
Special attention was paid to resolving problems connected with high degree of physical deterioration of power equipment, with ownerless power grid facilities, with construction of new power plants, with gasification of regions in the Far Eastern Federal District.
Wear and tear of power engineering equipment in a number of Russian regions reaches 70%, Nikolai Patruchev, the Secretary of Russia's Security Council said a conference on Tuesday.
"Deterioraton of power engineering equipment, which stands at 70% in of our constituent territories, still remains very high," he said.
Сrimes in the energy sector
According to the Russian Security Council, proposals were made to counter theft and illegal trafficking of energy resources at the stages of extraction, transporting, processing and selling finished goods; to increase effectiveness of measures to counter production and selling of counterfeit oil products; to strengthen anti-terrorist security of energy facilities.
Number of crimes in the Russian energy sector went up 23% from January through to June versus the same period a year ago, Patrushev told.
"Reduction of crime in the fuel and energy sector remains a pressing issue," he said. "The number of crimes in that sphere went up 23% in the first six months of the year."
"Tehre is an increase in the number questionable financial transactions made by the companies that offer services in the sphere of oil and gas production," Patrushev said.
"Criminal cases have been instituted on all the exposed facts," he said adding that the damage caused by these transactions totaled hundreds of millions of rubles.
Patrushev called for putting up a reinforced barrier in the way of embezzlement and stressed in particular the explosure red-tape corruption.
Antiterrorist precautions
Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev believes owners of energy sector facilities should tighten up antiterrorist precautions.
"Owners of facilities in the energy sector should take more steps in terms of antiterrorist protection of their enterprises, fit them out with technologies, and enhance the physical protections," he said.
Self-reliance for foodstuffs
The session noted that it is important to boost regions’ self-sufficiency in producing food. Proposals were made to improve the mechanism of providing state support for agricultural producers and controlling the quality of imported food and agricultural products.
Self-reliance for foodstuffs in a number of Far-Eastern regions of Russia has been deteriorating of late, Nikolai Patrushev said.
"Self-reliance of the population for foodstuffs in Far-Eastern regions remains at a low level on the whole," he said. "The own output of foods in the Far East still doesn't fully cover the local demand, especially in what concerns the consumption norms for the crucail foodstuffs like meat, milk or vegetables."
"Consumption of socially significant foods is ensured by bringing them in, mostly from other parts of Russia," Patrushev said.
In 2015, the self of the Far East stood atg 25% for meat, 44% for milk, 79% for grain, 58% for vegetable, and 14% of greenhouse vegetables.
"More than that, the situation has been getting worse of late as a range of output figures is smaller than in previous years," Patrushev said. "Production of poultry for culling is down 15%, cattle 12% and eggs, 2%.".
Food safety
Patrushev also called for stepping up control over food safety.
"The threat is posed by the overall trend towards lowering the quality of food products that is observed on the food market. This is caused by both the imperfect regulatory framework in the sphere of technical regulation of food safety and the lack of proper in-process food products’ quality control", Patrushev said.
According to him, it is important to step up control over the safety of food products, over pricing, and provide agricultural enterprises with qualified personnel.
"The effectiveness of these measures largely depends on the degree of efficiency and coordination of the work of the state power bodies, enterprises of the agro-industrial complex and trade companies," the Security Council secretary said.
Fisheries in Russia’s Far East
The session also focused on measures to facilitate infrastructure of the fishing industry, to use the potential of development of marine aquaculture, to decrease dependence of agriculture and fishing on importing certain goods used in economic activities.
Situation in the fishing industry in Russia’s Far East remains unsatisfactory, Nikolai Patrushev said on Tuesday.
"The situation in the fishing industry in the region, which is vital for ensuring foodstuff security in the country, remains unsatisfactory," he said.
Patrushev pointed out the outdated fishery fleet and the insufficient number of processing factories on the shore. "These factors affect the development of the Far-Eastern fishery sector and reduces its role, in essence, to the supplies of raw fish.
"The share of the Far East in the all-Russia output of commercial-grade aquatic culture is a mere 3.5%," he said. "Of the 2 million hectares of the offshore strip only 1% of the area is used.".
Patrushev will report about the results of the session to the Russian President Vladimir Putin.