Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Petr Sumin approved of the action plan aimed at enhancing competition on the region’s food market in 2009-2011.

The plan was developed in order to ensure the local dwellers are provided with the foods they need, to support the processing industry’s sustainable development, and to create a competitive environment for the trade firms and food manufacturers.

The spokesperson for the Governor reports the agenda of the plan covers five areas: reduction of economic barriers for intraregional foods transfer, helping to create a food market saturated with the local manufacturers’ produce, sustaining the food prices, consumer rights protection, and training the food market workers and staff.

For one, the plan provides for the development of an agricultural and consumer cooperative network dealing in provision, sales, and processing of foods, for the organization of fairs and exhibitions, and selling food commodities in the region’s remote settlements. The regional government also intends to promote direct delivery agreements between food manufacturers and the trading firms and help the local manufacturers and farmers get permission to sell their produce on the retail markets. Then, the government will assist them in taking part in trade and economic missions and exhibitions outside the region.

The plan is to be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry for Economic Development, the regional union of consumer societies, and the region’s division of the Federal Antimonopoly Service as well as the local governments. Their performance is to be coordinated by First Deputy Governor Andrei Kosilov.