Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Golubev, I am glad to have this opportunity to have a look at how things stand in the Rostov Region. We have been saying so much about modernisation and innovation, but for many people these may still seem like some abstract concepts, like so much talk of progress in science and technology and of spaceships flying far away.

But all of this actually has a very down-to-earth dimension. We are currently in one of Russia’s largest high-tech companies, whose areas of specialisation range from food production equipment to equipment for making other important products that we use.

Moreover, all that we see here has actually been built over the past 10-15 years. These facilities create jobs, and set new production standards, new industrial standards, and create a new operating culture. They create new possibilities for applying human potential, giving people new innovative opportunities for making a decent income.

I believe this is a very important area of development for Russia and for the Rostov Region. We will begin our meeting on innovation-based development as an ongoing project in a few minutes; this company is a good example. I also hope that it is not the only one in its kind in your region. What is the situation in the local high-tech industry? What about high-tech jobs?

Vasily Golubev: Mr Medvedev, this is actually of paramount importance to us. The Rostov Region is not just any industrial region, it is also one of the largest in Russia. What we have seen here today is only a part of an extensive effort that is being made in this sphere. It is highly important that we manufacture products that have added value. I am referring, of course, to the manufacturing sector.

Vasily Golubev: Now, if we look at it from the concept perspective, by 2030 experts estimate that almost half of the products will be manufactured with the use of biotechnology. Everything we are doing now – more advanced stages of processing corn and grain – creates conditions for non-waste production. This is highly important today. But you are right in saying that this is also a sphere that provides wider opportunities for employment and more decently paid jobs. Here, top specialists are required.

We have several projects that have been already implemented, and several more are underway. We are closely collaborating with our scientists. In the past two years, some 300 patents were proposed by scientists from Southern Federal University and other universities. They have actually been used, and this is important for us. There are enterprises that produce so called irreplaceable supplements, which are important for livestock breeding, the food industry and certain other sectors – but the Rostov Region is lacking in such production facilities. Our aim today – and we have specified it as a top priority for the next few years in our programme for developing the region until 2020 – is to provide conditions for developing processing industries. We have projects and investors who are ready to provide resources. To put this into action, we have taken a very important step by adopting a law on the private-public partnership. This has resulted in investors coming to regions, and we engage in the development of engineering communications and road construction to relieve the investor of this work. In the future, the investor will not be paying for this, as all infrastructure will be the property of the region. The most important and interesting thing is that this is working and has already brought actual results. Today, many investors are expanding their production. For instance, the Biotech company is planning to launch advanced grain processing facilities to obtain lysine, an essential additive in livestock breeding, which we have thus far have received from abroad. This is very important for our region and other agro-industrial complexes in Russia. The Amilko company processes corn, with derived products that are odor-free and are used for producing improved quality food products, which is also very important for us. We are implementing a number of projects in poultry farming and livestock breeding. Today, 59 enterprises in the Rostov Region that use various brand new technologies are operating in livestock breeding. We have a number of large companies involved in poultry farming. The Yevrodon company is constructing Europe’s largest duck breeding farm, with an annual production capacity of 20,000 tonnes. If we follow this direction we will produce some 60,000 tonnes of duck and turkey meat in two years, the largest enterprise to date. The issue discussed at this meeting is very important for us and we cannot move further until we solve it. I think it is important for both municipal and regional authorities to be aware that this is the future of the agro-industrial complex and the processing industry – and today, you have personally seen that this is bringing about actual results in the Rostov region. 

Dmitry Medvedev: You know, we constantly talk about creating more jobs, and this has become commonplace. But I would like to point out that it is not just any jobs that we need to create but the most efficient and modern ones, with the proper level of production and salaries provided. This is an example of such jobs. The more we have, the better it is for our citizens. Thank you.