The Ural Chamber of Commerce and agricultural representatives recently met to discuss agriculture and its processing businesses in the region, according to The Yekaterinburg News in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
There are 10 branches of the food industry in the Sverdlovsk region. These 10 branches unite more than 500 existing businesses. The Sverdlovsk food industry overall employs 26,000 people.
In 2014, the food industry grew by more than $1 billion, which was 28 percent more than the industry gained in 2013.
Despite these gains, representatives at the meeting said the food industry and processing facilities in the Middle Urals face strategic dilemmas, including outdated technology, materials, infrastructure, refrigeration, transportation and other related issues. These problems stand in the way of reliably and safely providing the region with quality food, according to the meeting attendees.
Among the suggestions made at the meeting that will be presented to the Sverdlovsk region’s government for review were special control subsidies for farmers, assistance to establish a breeding center for elite varieties of potatoes, construction of a grocery logistics center and the establishment of a new administrative district in the region for the agro-industrial cluster.
Attendees at the meeting included representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Goods for the Sverdlovsk region, the Committee on Agrarian Policy of the Legislative Assembly, heads of urban districts, the Council of the Public Chamber of the Sverdlovsk region, 50 agricultural producers, municipality experts, leaders from the processing industry and representatives of rural settlements.
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