Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: How are things developing in the region?

Sergei Mitin: We did well last year. We were successful enough. For the first time, we ranked among top quality meat producers and registered the highest rates in the growth of agricultural production.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I remember how you treated me to some.

Sergei Mitin: We are continuing to grow this year. We have several major projects. And I want to thank you for helping us with grain from the intervention fund.

Vladimir Putin: Did it go off well?

Sergei Mitin: Not yet, but the prices are already going down. Everything is okay with grain. In general, we have distributed it, everything is clear and we have no questions to our producers. So, we can consider this important issue resolved.

Vladimir Putin: But the main point is that the grain must reach…

Sergei Mitin: It will. No doubt about that. This year we have also launched good projects on the same track. We are working very closely with St Petersburg, and Valentina Matviyenko (the governor of St Petersburg) is helping us. In May we’ll hold the Days of Nizhny Novgorod in St Petersburg.

This year I have given priority to potato growing. Potatoes grow well in our region. I think we shouldn’t buy potatoes from abroad. We can grow enough here. In two to three years we expect to bring potato production to about 500,000 tonnes. Potatoes, meat, processing…

Housing construction is also one of our major projects, and it is doing well. We are now building a plant that will produce prefabricated homes and will make this area our priority in the future.

Vladimir Putin: What about your construction industry as a whole?

Sergei Mitin: Despite the difficulties, during the past year we increased our growth rates over 2009. Now we produce about 0.4 square metres per capita, and I’d like to increase this figure. We are interested in bringing more people to our region. Our region is sparsely populated, but the conditions are good. I think that if we manage to build affordable, decent housing, people will start coming to the region.  

Vladimir Putin: Has the ministry endorsed your plans on modernising health care?

Sergei Mitin: We are working on this. Our people are constantly working with the ministry. I think we won’t have any problems. We’ll agree on everything and, to be honest, we have high expectations for this programme.

Vladimir Putin: You must complete this work.

Sergei Mitin: But this is a strictly technical issue… There are no conflicts.

Vladimir Putin: It is obviously a technical issue, but you won’t receive money until you resolve it. Please, complete this work.

Sergei Mitin: We will.