"Today's mixed feed production does not fully meet the objectives of Russian food security doctrine," Mr Zubkov said in his opening address. Among industrial problems, he highlighted that production growth rates had almost halved in 2008-09-dropping from 10% to 6.3%, the inefficient use of equipment, excessive imports, small feed efficiency, inadequate fodder delivery services and, as a consequence, limited mixed feed access at private farms and rural households.

"We should not forget that the amount and quality of livestock products, their prices, and the economy of beef and dairy farming depend on the development of combination fodder production... Enhanced output will promote domestic livestock products over imports as well as the development of engineering and other relevant industries."

He is confident that "objective prerequisites to increase domestic mixed feed output are available": there are sufficient areas for sunflower, soy, oilseed rape and other plantations, Russian vegetable oil plants and sugar refineries possess adequate capacity, and mixed feed production equipment is manufactured in Russia.

The meeting discussed the structure of mixed feed farms, the opportunities to modernise them and promote the relevant industries, the mixed feed distribution system, and domestic market protection to revive the Russian fodder-oriented microbiological industry.