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Medvedev in Kursk Region to discuss measures to boost farm production

The Head of Government will also familiarize himself with the harvesting of crops by the "KurskAgroAktiv"

MOSCOW, August 22, /ITAR-TASS/. Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will hold a conference in Kursk Region on Friday on measures aimed at boosting farm production and conducting harvesting, a government press service report says.

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On the same day, Medvedev will attend a ceremony marking the laying of flowers at the "Kursk City of Military Glory" stele in the Kursk Bulge area and address a ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 71st anniversary of the Victory in the Battle of Kursk. The Head of Government will also familiarize himself with the harvesting of crops by the OOO (limited liability company) "KurskAgroAktiv".

The Russian Ministry of Agriculture, in view of implementation of restrictions being put by Russia on the import of farm produce into the country, predicts contraction of deliveries of imported fruit and berry products, grape, potatoes, vegetables, pork, poultry meat, beef, and milk.

For the purpose of import substitution in line with the government's assignment dated August 11, 2014, the Agriculture Ministry is working out changes in the State programme for the development of agriculture and regulation of the markets of farm produce, rawstuffs, and food in the 2013-2020 period. New measures are supposed to be taken and the existing State programme-stipulated ones, aimed at developing the agri-industrial sector, are to be adjusted.

The present edition of the State programme envisages financing of the sector from the Federal budget at a level of 170.1 billion roubles in 2014. In all, the earmarked Federal budget expenditure on the development of agriculture in the 2 013-2020 period amounts to 1.5 trillion roubles.

Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov stated earlier that several tens of billions of roubles would be needed additionally to support Russia's agrarians to substitute the sanctions-listed commodities before the end of 2014, and about 100 billion roubles a year additionally would be required in subsequent years.

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