"The mechanisms established by the law have started to work. Moreover, they have proved to be effective both for producers and trade in general," the first deputy prime minister said as he opened the meeting.

"In the first eleven months of this year the retail sales grew 4.5% over the same period of 2009; the share of food in it has remained steady to total 48.7% (48.6% in 2009)," Viktor Zubkov reported.

He noted that the trade law provided an opportunity to stabilise the financial state of agricultural producers and kept price growth in check throughout the challenges caused by the drought. According to Viktor Zubkov, the law's provisions contributed to this by reducing the producers' repayment terms. They also promoted access to trade infrastructure for small and medium-sized producers and prohibited bonuses.

Viktor Zubkov thanked the group's members for taking part in preparing and approving all the regulatory legal acts necessary to implement the law in 2010. This included the amendments to the Administrative Offences Code which provide for the application of fines of up to 5 million roubles for violating the law's provisions in relation to the products suppliers and trade organisations. At the same time, as the first deputy prime minister noted, the law's enforcement practice is still being developed. "We need to monitor it to evaluate the need to create new amendments", he added.

In conclusion, the participants of the meeting discussed work plans for 2011. "We will put more focus on the regional side of our work. We need to give special attention to the systemic problems in the development of trade in small towns and rural areas", Viktor Zubkov ordered.