Rural hi-tech is ahead of urban hi-tech

A lot of agricultural companies of Leningrad region are ahead of some Saint-Petersburg enterprises if to compare their automation levels.

 

During 9 months of 2007 milk yield was 4894 kgs in average, which means that a year yield will be about 7 thousand litres and that is a European parameter. The productivity of the poultry farm layers for the same 9 months was more than 200 eggs per a bird, and that meets European efficiency parameters of as well. The grain yield has surpassed the most optimistical forecasts, having reached 29.8 centners from a hectare (in comparison, in 2000 20.3 centners have been collected, in 2005 - 24.9).

 

Constant agrarian successes of Leningrad area are partly a consequence of the Soviet period. During that period Leningrad region was purposefully made the model of an agrarian region. A priority was dairy stock-raising, in particular it was a development of breeding facilities, and the first experience of a transfer of agriculture to industrial rails was made:  the construction of large integrated poultry farms began.  In crisis of the 1990-s both the dairy state farms, and the integrated poultry farms changed their property patterns, but they did not disappear, and they have been turned into successful joint-stock companies.

 

"Ordinary" rural JSC learned to survive due to their versatility, making money on milk, and on meat, and on vegetables, and on grain production. New successes of regional agrarians were the results of competent enough support by the regional government and of the Federal Project of Development of Agriculture. In 2008 the financing of Agriculture and Fishery » in Leningrad region will be more than half a million roubles. It’s 11% more than in 2007. Direct budgetary grants are practically stopped. 

 

New kinds of the help stimulate purchasing of technical novelties. The budget makes payments for of a part of percent under investment credits of the enterprises, gives money for leasing. For example, machines for rolled grains were bought by leasing, and that fact made it possible to have high quality raw feed material and to get rid of the necessity of purchasing of expensive mixed feed.

 

Heads of facilities say, that a main role in radical re-equipment of many dairy farms and cattle-breeding complexes investment credits have played, thanks to which two thirds of interest rate were subsidized from the regional budget at first, and then (within the frame of the national project «Development of Agrarian and Industrial Complexes ») from regional and federal budgets all credit interest rate became covered also. They have made it possible the appearance of modern high-efficiency dairy companies where all dairy herd is served only by one operator of the computerized and automated complex.

 

The majority of the Petersburg industrial enterprises can only dream about such level of automation. New generation enterprises are organized in JSC "Rabititsy», “Polyany”, “JSC" Pedigree Company Pervomaiskoye», JSC «Pedigree Company after Telman», JSC "Volkhovskoye". In 2006-2007 within the national project «Development of Agrarian and Industrial Complex» the regional companies started to build 74 new plants for the total amount of more than 5 billion roubles. The mounting of 25 of them (for the amount 1 billion roubles) have been already finished and they are already started.  

 

Realization of large investment projects by integrated poultry farms made it possible to produce products and at the same time to process them, which has opened new markets and has essentially increased profitability of the enterprises. Such projects were carried out in practice by Open JSC “Roskar Poultry Farm”, by the integrated poultry farm "Severnay Poultry Farm", by Open JSC “Severnaya Poultry Farm”. The next step is meat branch. Meat production of Leningrad region grew from 56 up to 120 thousand tons in the period from 2000 to 2007 but it’s only the beginning. Nowadays the agricultural holding «Pulkovski» is building a pig-breeding complex for 250 thousand pigs at the cost of 1.84 billion roubles. The European company «Мeatland Food Groups» is doing the design of a large meat-processing plant to a value of 80 million dollars.

 

In Gatchinsky district a farm for 900 thousand geese and ducks will be built. The new owner of the pig-breeding complex "Vostochny” is found, it will be the company «Rurik AG» where Danish capital is invested (Danes are the recognized experts in pig-breeding). The main problem of the agrarian sector of Leningrad region is “personnel famine” which the regional authorities hope to overcome, through giving out various loans to the people arriving to the countryside to work: the loans for housing, for acquisition, and also through developing a city infrastructure in countryside.

 

According to the results of the agricultural year (they are summed up every year in the Day of Agricultural Workers that was celebrated last Sunday), Leningrad region has confirmed its position as the Russian leader in dairy industry and in poultry farming, and also rather strong positions in vegetable and grain production. The new ambition of regional agrarians is to become exemplary region in meat production.