‘The agribusiness industry’s sustainable development is our top priority at the moment,’ Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Petr Sumin said in the course of his annual address to the Legislative Assembly deputies.

The Governor reported the year 2008 and overall a good one for the local agricultural enterprises, whose production output came to more than 63.5 billion RUR. Then, 120,000 hectares of land were re-cultivated, with another 200,000 hectares to be re-cultivated over the next two or three years. In addition, the regional poultry output rose by over one-third in 2008, reaching 142,000 tons. Finally, Chelyabinsk Region produced more than 600,000 tons of milk last year.

‘This year, we’ll keep working on the large-scale re-equipment process, since the successful implementation of these plans is an important factor in providing for the region’s food security. The share of imported foods has dropped from 30% to 3.7% over the last decade, and the region is fully capable of supplying enough crops, bread, pasta, potatoes, vegetables, meat, poultry, and eggs for its own needs. Our next challenge is becoming import-independent in terms of milk and dairy products. The region’s food security is a strategically important thing,’ Petr Sumin said.