The Deputy Governor of Tomsk region for Agro-Industrial Policy and Nature Management, Andrei Knorr, presented at the meeting of the subcommission on agriculture of the Russian-Chinese Commission for the preparation of regular meetings of heads of government projects implemented in the region in the agro-industrial complex jointly with Chinese investors.
"There is an active cooperation between Tomsk region and a number of provinces of China, determined primarily by territorial proximity, and we highly appreciate the progress in the investment sphere," the vice-governor said in his speech.
Two years ago, in the second meeting of the subcommission, a memorandum of understanding and cooperation was signed between the administration of Tomsk region and the Chinese-Russian Agricultural Development Company JSC. A portfolio of investment projects was created with a total investment volume of 50 billion rubles ($ 875 million) and a deadline for implementation until 2030, which presupposes the construction of new and upgrading of existing purchased production capacities in the field of crop production, meat and dairy cattle breeding, as well as processing of agricultural products in Tomsk region.
According to Andrei Knorr, the coordination of these projects is currently being handled by a Russian-Chinese vertically integrated holding of Agroholding Tomsky JSC. The list of objects making up a single production complex is determined. At the first stage, the raw material base is being built, the second one is planning the construction of processing enterprises. The total investment is 6 billion rubles ($ 105 million). Already 550 million rubles ($ 9.63 million) have already been spent, including more than 450 million rubles ($ 7.88 million) allocated by Chinese investors to the project, until the end of the year the amount of Chinese investments will be raised to half a billion rubles ($ 8.75 million).
Currently, the dairy complex is being designed for 6,300 heads, the complex for 1000 heads of meat pedigree cattle was purchased and modernized, and the Hereford pedigree cattle was purchased in addition. 12 thousand hectares of unused agricultural land were put into circulation, for which 93 units of agricultural machinery and equipment were purchased.
The Tomsk regional administration, for its part, is rendering the state support to the project. 90 million rubles ($ 1.58 million) of subsidies from the federal and regional budgets were directed to Agroholding Tomsky JSC for the purchase of breeding stock, technical equipment, other support. Despite tightening by the Chinese government control over investments in the territory of foreign countries, Tomsk agroproject remains in the priorities of Chinese colleagues, which was again announced in June this year at a meeting with the deputy governor of Shandong Province. Speaking at the sub-commission, the vice-governor of Tomsk region, Andrei Knorr, proposed to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC to include the Tomsk project in the list of priority Russian-Chinese joint investment projects of the Russian-Chinese Investment Cooperation Commission under the leadership of Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and Deputy Premier of the State Council of China Zhang Gaoli. "This is important not only for the transparency of project management by the leadership of both countries, which will allow the business of both countries to have a more stable favorable mode of operation," Knorr said. "We are ready to continue working and will do everything possible to make our cooperation productive."
Source: Press Service of the Department for Social and Economic Development of Tomsk region.
