Even in the morning, but on your own

Moscow is trying to reduce dependence on food imports

The city authorities decided to take care of healthy food for Muscovites, while not forgetting to support agricultural producers from the budget. At yesterday's meeting of the Moscow City Duma, deputies adopted in the first reading the bill “On food security of the city of Moscow,” aimed, according to its authors, primarily at reducing the dependence of the Russian capital on food imports. As explained by the first deputy head of the food resources department, Gennady Lifintsev, it is planned to solve this problem through the implementation of city target programs providing for the creation and support of agricultural holdings in the regions of the Central Federal District, stimulating the growth of the food and processing industry within the capital, the development of wholesale trade and the integration of wholesalers with agricultural producers . Of course, both support for domestic producers and the development of integration are expected to be carried out at the expense of the city budget.

Despite the noble goals proclaimed by the speaker, the bill alarmed opposition deputies, according to whom the document does not solve the stated problems, while creating preferences for individual companies. Deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Vladimir Ulas clarified that if a 20% level of dependence on food imports is considered safe, and in Moscow for certain types of products supplies from abroad amount to 65%, then the law should indicate specific terms for the replacement of imported goods with domestic ones. “There is none of this in the law. This is a law that it would be good to live well,” said the deputy. The head of the United Democrats faction, Sergei Mitrokhin, went even further. Without mentioning that one of the largest investors in the agricultural holdings of the Central Federal District is the INTECO-Agro company, owned by the wife of the Moscow mayor, Mr. Mitrokhin asked whether competitive procedures were provided for selecting recipients of cheap budget loans and other preferences. According to the deputy, the integration with several agricultural holdings prescribed in the law, which involves investments from the budget and access to the Moscow wholesale market, can lead to the emergence of a monopolist, dependence on which will be even more severe than on foreign supplies.

Chairman of the Moscow City Duma Commission on Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship Alexander Kovalev (United Russia), who presented the bill to deputies, tried to the best of his ability to dispel all suspicions of protectionism. In a conversation with a Vremya Novostei correspondent, he admitted that the products of agricultural holdings are cheaper than those of small enterprises, and it will be difficult for small businesses to compete with such monsters that enjoy the support of the city authorities. However, the deputy recalled, there is antimonopoly legislation that limits the percentage share of an enterprise in the market. In addition, the city, according to him, supports not only large but also small enterprises. For example, next year’s budget includes 36 billion rubles for the development of small businesses. Yes, and today there are 12 agricultural holdings working in Moscow, and competition between them is constantly growing, Mr. Kovalev assured. “Not so long ago we had only three agricultural holdings, but soon there will be 40!” - said the deputy, dismissing the very possibility of a large monopolist appearing on the capital's market, in partnership with the city authorities, receiving budget loans and having unlimited access to the city's commodity distribution network.

Alexander GUDKOV