Sukhum. November 27, 2020. Apsnypress. There took place an expanded meeting of experts in the field of agriculture of Abkhazia and Russia in Sukhum. The meeting was chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture of Abkhazia Beslan Dzhopua and First Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Dzhambulat Khatuov.

Previously, the delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia visited the enterprises of the agro-industrial complex of the republic and held expert consultations with producers of agricultural products in the region.

The Russian delegation includes representatives of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Russian Agricultural Center", the Federal State Budgetary Institution "State Sort Commission", the Sochi Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

As the press service of the RA Cabinet of Ministers reported, the meeting discussed the state of the agricultural industry in Abkhazia, the prospects for creating new agricultural production facilities, ways to improve the quality of the harvest, and joint organization of measures to combat plant pests.

Opening the meeting and welcoming the Russian delegation, Beslan Jopua said: “I would like to express my gratitude to the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia on behalf of the workers of the agricultural sector of Abkhazia for their timely assistance in the fight against agricultural pests. Abkhazia would have had a very hard time coping with the invasion of the marble bug and other pests without financial and technical assistance from our strategic partner. Thanks to the pest control measures taken and the natural favorable weather conditions, the citrus harvest is very high this year. We can say that this year's indicators are 5-7 times higher than last year's. In addition, the Government of Abkhazia prepared in advance for simplified measures of agricultural products transportation from Abkhazia to the Russian Federation. Thanks to these measures, exporters quickly transport products across the border using the services of a specialized customs post of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation in Abkhazia. "

Dzhambulat Khatuov replied with words of gratitude and congratulated the Abkhaz colleagues on the holiday:

“Let me congratulate you on the holiday, on the day of the Constitution of the Republic of Abkhazia, and wish you health, prosperity, and further economic development. Our traditional meetings are aimed at mutual exchange of views on our common problems. Our meeting today is a kind of summing up of the results of the agricultural year. This year was successful for Abkhazia. We are grateful for this result to all the country's farmers working to protect the crop. Today, as you know, we intend to point out the tools for the development of our relations. "

A large block of the meeting agenda was devoted to phytosanitary well-being: the Abkhaz side made a number of presentations on the work done in this area, talked about the stages of a complex of measures to combat the marble bug with the support of Russian colleagues.

“There is a full-scale fight against insects - pests of agricultural crops in Abkhazia. Mechanical collection of insects is used in pest control, the treatment of plants with chemicals, and informing citizens about the methods of control. The effectiveness of the measures was recognized by both parties. We continue to intend to share monitoring data with the Russian side, as well as cooperate in organizing the supply of chemicals, ”Jopua said at the end of the first block of issues.

Then the participants moved on to discussing a set of measures to improve the efficiency of the agricultural sector of the economy. It was about the implementation of new investment projects in the agricultural sector, the prospect of laying fruit orchards, the establishment of enterprises for the processing of fruits and vegetables, their further export sales under a single state brand. The Abkhaz side will submit proposals for development of agriculture and establishment of enterprises necessary for its development at the first stage. The projects will then be discussed in the format of conference calls and in narrow specialized working groups.

The Russian side also informed the Abkhaz colleagues that in addition to considering a portfolio of new projects, it is ready to assist in providing specialists for advice, conducting a technical audit of already operating agricultural enterprises in order to update their financial and production model and successfully implement the project.