To the Komi reindeer breeders WTO doesn't threaten

Northern reindeer breeding in Komi is not threatened by change of conditions of managing in connection with Russia's accession to the WTO. Such opinion was expressed by the First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and the republic food - Nadezhda Potapova, at meeting of presidium of the State Council of Komi on April 16. In the agenda of meeting in particular appeared the question of consequences for agro-industrial complex of the republic at Russia's accession to the WTO.

As the chairman of the State Council of Komi Igor Kovzel explained, in the summer of 2012 the federal law on accession of the Russian Federation to the WTO was adopted, and Russia received a seven-year transition period during which landowners and the business connected with agriculture have to be reconstructed to the changed conditions of the competition. "It is very important to estimate today resources of agricultural producers of the republic, internal measures for support of landowners", - he noted.

According to the speaker, for 2014 in the budget of Komi allocation of 1 billion 642 million rubles on support of agriculture of the republic is provided. And instead of direct quoting of production of competitors the subsidies for building of new objects, the development of infrastructure and logistics are allocated.

N. Potapova in her report informed that Russia's accession to the WTO for agriculture will lead to decrease in tariffs and reduction of quotas of import of products, to the reduction of volumes of internal support of branch and subsidizing of export of agricultural products. Thus a number of the directions gets in so-called "a yellow basket" where the volume of state support is limited, and a part – to "a green basket" where restrictions on regulation are not present. The majority of territorial subjects of the Russian Federation gets to the list of regions with adverse conditions of farming that allows not to extend to them restrictions on the WTO – Komi, most likely, will also appear in this list.

Nevertheless, the deputy minister suggested to keep support of landowners of the republic – via the mechanisms which aren not falling under restrictions of the WTO. So, the WTO does not forbid to support producers of environmentally friendly products, innovative projects, and the part of the directions can be given in other key. "Northern reindeer breeding in Russia as a whole – support is directed on increase in production – and it gets to "a yellow basket", at us in Komi the problem of state support is formulated more softly: optimization of a livestock of deer, preservation of cervine pastures – and it more corresponds to tasks of "a green basket", - N. Potapova explained.

As for production and sale of the meat,  the decrease of barriers at accession to WTO already led to falling of meat price in Russia as a whole and in Komi, in particular, in. It turned back with problems for domestic agricultural producers who have to pay back enclosed before an investment. Besides, there is a threat of deliveries to the Russian market of cheap meat from Argentina, Australia and Canada with GMO. For resisting, it is necessary, according to the deputy minister, and further to develop in Komi the direction of purchases of agricultural products from the republic and the neighboring regions for needs of state institutions – kindergartens, schools, medical institutions, etc. And if earlier budgetary establishments of Komi concluded 60 percent of contracts on acquisition of import meat, now this indicator decreased to several percent. Establishments come to direct contracts with producers, they buy the cooled meat, instead of the frozen import. Ministry of Agriculture and Food Production of Komi through the interdepartmental working group traces the trends in the market and works both with social establishments, and with agricultural producers, arranging deliveries of local production.