On July 30, a two-day business forum Agro-Omsk 2020 ended in the Omsk Regional Congress Hall (organized by the regional Ministry of Agriculture and Food, as well as the Development and Investment Agency of the Omsk region with the support of the Government of the Omsk region). The Omsk regional branch of the Russian Agricultural Bank (Omsky Biocluster member) acted as the official partner of the event. The Bank continues to help the agricultural sector achieve its goals and respond to challenges.
The Forum was opened by the Governor of the Omsk region Alexander Burkov, who noted that it is impossible to imagine July in the Omsk region without this event:
"For eighteen years now, we have been holding an exhibition at which we present all the most modern and advanced that is in agriculture. New knowledge means new prospects for the development of the agroindustry. Our region is traditionally considered one of the main producers of products in Siberia. Last year, we produced agricultural products worth almost RUR 100 billion ($ 1.37 billion). Omsk farmers have achievements that I am sure will be useful to their colleagues. Thanks to the accumulated experience, our agricultural producers annually cope with the tough challenges posed by the weather. Last year, despite the introduction of an emergency regime in eleven districts of the region due to waterlogging, we managed to collect more than 3 million tons of grain. It is 15th in Russia and second in Siberia. This year, on the contrary, the weather is hot and dry, part of the crops died. But I believe in our farmers, and we will not lower the level of 3 million tons of grain."
After the official opening, an intensive discussion of topics for farmers began on five panel discussions: 'Crop Production', 'Economics, Financing, Accounting', 'Agroindustry Management', 'Livestock', 'Food and Processing Industry'.
Deputy Director of the Omsk branch of RusAg Evgeny Smelyanets spoke on the topic 'Economics, Financing, Accounting'. The speaker spoke about the simplified procedure for lending to small farms. Thanks to the visual presentation, the audience of the event learned how to quickly and comfortably get borrowed funds that will help the business grow and achieve new results.
"As you know, RusAg actively supports not only large agricultural companies, but also develops farming. In the first half of 2020 alone, the country's main agricultural bank gave Omsk farmers more than RUR 2.5 billion ($ 34,37 million) for seasonal field work. About 60% of the total volume of loans fell on SMEs. In general, since the beginning of the Bank's work in the region in 2000, we have allocated about RUR 92 billion ($ 1.26 billion) of loans to farmers. Subsidized loans are traditionally in high demand. Usually they account for up to 70% of the volume of all issues", said Evgeny Smelyanets.
The bank was able to ensure uninterrupted funding for a strategically important planting campaign in the region amid coronavirus restrictions, with disbursements 20% higher than in the previous year.
Taking into account the current challenges of the time, the usual format of the exhibition-fair was transferred to the Internet space, focusing on the business part.
"Every year we support the main agricultural event of the summer, because it gives us a chance to "keep our finger on the pulse" - to be close to farmers, understand their needs and try to meet their expectations, - said the director of the branch of the Russian Agricultural Bank Lev Yaneev. - I believe that the first experience of holding an online forum for organizers was successful. We managed to preserve a wide geography of participants and an extensive pool of relevant topics. Over two days, 25 speakers from Omsk and other regions of Russia were watched by more than four thousand people. I hope that the knowledge gained at Agro-Omsk 2020 will allow agrarians to develop and, in particular, to competently use the existing financial instruments for the agroindustry."
About 4,000 people watched the forum broadcast via YouTube video hosting.
Information: Russian Agricultural Bank JSC (RusAg) is the basis of the national credit financial system, specializing in banking services for agricultural sector in Russia. The bank was established in 2000 and is a key creditor of the country’s agribusiness. It ranks among the top major banks of the country in terms of assets and is one of the leaders of the Russian bank reliability rating. 100% of the voting shares of the Bank belong to the Russian Federation.
