Governor of the Saratov Region on the annual results of economic development of the region

In the past year, the governor of the Saratov region, Valery Radaev, for the first time made a programmatic address to the residents of the region and told what tasks the region faces in the near future. Valery Radaev spoke about what the head of the region considers to be the main achievement of the outgoing year and what the Saratov region needs to do to solve all the problems facing Russian regions in a conversation with Kommersant.

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Manufacturing industries provided the Saratov industry with growth of 110%; faster rates are observed in metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and the military-industrial complex.

It will not be possible to solve the road problem once and for all. But we have chosen the right direction; next year we are allocating 7.3 billion rubles for roads. I hope we can put a lot of it in order.

The Saratov region is fully self-sufficient in bakery and pasta products, eggs, cereals, vegetables, and vegetable oil. This year the situation with livestock products is somewhat more modest.

— Previously, the executive branch traditionally reported that the Saratov region was experiencing positive economic development dynamics. Now we are witnessing a rather difficult time from an economic point of view; some enterprises are even leaving the market. What's happening in the region?

— In the real sector of the economy of the Saratov region, positive dynamics are traditionally observed. This is evidenced by the growth of the industrial production index. For January-September, the IPP amounted to 102.6%, taking into account October - 102.8%.

- So everything is stable with us?

— Yes, the indicators indicate a relatively stable economic situation in the region. The largest volume (40%) of the gross regional product falls on the industrial sector. And here some success has been achieved. Manufacturing industries ensured growth of 110%; faster rates are observed in metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and the military-industrial complex.

— The federal authorities talk a lot about the fact that an economic “safety cushion” should be created in the regions. Do we have it?

- Of course. I would like to emphasize that in modern conditions of external factors and sanctions, the “safety cushion” of the regional economy has become a high level of industrial diversification. To this we must add the commissioning of a number of high-tech plants: Tsentrolit, Severstal, Air Liquide - and a significant workload of defense industry enterprises. Today the region occupies a leading position in the production of electronic, optical equipment, and electrical equipment. Clusters of composite materials and gas equipment and the tool industry seem promising, including within the framework of import substitution. By the end of the year, the construction of the Engels Locomotive Plant will be completed to produce a new product for the region - freight mainline electric locomotives. A strategic task has been set aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the economy of the Saratov region.

— How many new investment projects are there in the region?

— By the end of the year, 18 investment projects will be implemented in the region totaling 23.6 billion rubles. By the way, for some reason little is said about the fact that in 2014 we made a breakthrough in shipbuilding: at the Balakovo shipbuilding and ship repair plant, a river-sea class dry cargo ship was built from scratch. The ship left the shipyard after a 30-year break in production. This is a very serious achievement. In addition, modernization continues at the plant today, into which millions of dollars are being invested. In addition to traditional industries, a new cluster of the furniture industry is being formed in the region.

— Do you mean a plant in the Saratov region, in the village of Kleshchevka?

- Exactly. This is the largest manufacturer - the King of Sofas company. In 2011, the production of upholstered and cabinet furniture was organized. Currently, about 5 thousand people are employed in production, with plans to increase the number of employees to 10 thousand within three years. The construction industry is showing positive dynamics. Over nine months, 562 thousand square meters were commissioned. m of housing, growth - 119%. Over 10 months, 907 thousand square meters were commissioned. m of housing, growth - 123%.

In the agro-industrial complex, the volume of production exceeded 105 billion rubles, an increase of 115% (in the Russian Federation - 107.7%). The growth in investment in fixed capital over 10 months amounted to 77.6 billion rubles (105.1%). In October, due to the implementation of investment projects, 7.5 billion rubles were added.

— Is this year really marked by a large number of launched enterprises?

— Yes, this is probably a landmark year for us, we introduced five new production facilities. Moreover, these are large-scale projects that we have been carrying out for more than one year. Take the same “Severstal - Balakovo Long Product Plant”. The official opening took place on July 28 of this year, although in fact the enterprise had been operating for six months. Today it employs 411 people. The volume of investment in the project is 24.9 billion rubles. The project is of strategic importance for the development of the region. By the end of 2014, the company plans to produce 374 thousand tons of rolled products. In 2016, upon reaching design capacity, the output of long rolled metal products will be about 1 million tons per year. Then ZAO Balakovo-Tsentrolit. Launched on May 28, creating 400 jobs. The volume of investment in the project is 4.2 billion rubles. By the end of the year, the company expects to produce about 900 tons of castings. In 2016, when the design capacity is reached, the production of steel castings for the car industry will be about 20.4 thousand tons per year. The shipment volume is more than 1.2 billion rubles.

It is also worth noting that the Air Liquid Balakovo LLC plant was launched on July 14. It supplies oxygen, nitrogen and argon to ZAO Severstal - Long Product Plant Balakovo, as well as liquid air separation products for industrial consumers in Saratov, Samara and other surrounding areas. 1.8 billion rubles is the price of this project. The main consumer of the plant's products is the Severstal enterprise. In addition, it is planned to supply technical gases for the needs of the region's glass industry and oxygen for medical institutions. To date, the company has produced products worth 63 million rubles. In 2016, when the design capacity is reached, the production of technical gases will be 110 thousand tons per year. The shipment volume, according to government estimates, will be about 200 million rubles. And finally, the Bosch Heating Systems LLC plant, which we opened in July. Also almost a billion rubles of investment, the expected volume of finished products after the enterprise reaches its design capacity in 2016 is 26.5 thousand wall-mounted domestic and 120 industrial boilers per year. The shipment volume, according to our estimate, will be more than 2 billion rubles.

— Okay, it’s more or less clear with industry. There remains the painful issue of roads, which has not been resolved, probably for generations. Next year in the Saratov region has been declared the Year of Roads, and a large amount has been allocated to the road fund. How do you assess the situation? Will it be possible to resolve the issue once and for all?

- No, once and for all, no matter how much we want it, it won’t work. But we have chosen the right direction; next year we are allocating 7.3 billion rubles for roads. I hope we can put a lot of it in order. We will continue to work on the transfer of part of the highways from regional to federal ownership. From what has already been done, I would like to draw attention to the full-scale overhaul of the Saratov-Engels bridge across the Volga. I consider this a significant event. The crossing has not been repaired since its launch, that is, 49 years. It took six months to completely restore the bridge crossing. As a result, residents of the region received an updated structure that meets all safety requirements.

Let me draw your attention to another large-scale infrastructure project: the construction of a bridge across the shipping canal in Balakovo continues. This is the fourth major bridge construction project in Russia that is being prepared for delivery. The federal budget for 2015 allocated 2.3 billion rubles for the completion of construction. This will allow the work to be completed and the bridge put into operation next year.

— Since we started the topic of transport, what is happening in Saburovka now? This refers to the construction of a new Saratov airport.

— The construction of the Central airport complex is in full swing, we do not foresee any negative changes. This large-scale project, worth over 20 billion rubles, is being implemented on a public-private partnership basis. Today, the construction of the runway is in its final stages. Next, the airport building itself will be built. This is reaching a new level of transport services for the population, world standards and working in conditions of healthy competition.

— With the introduction of an embargo by the federal government on the import of food products from the European Union, Norway, Australia, Canada and the United States, the issue of import substitution of basic types of food products has become particularly relevant. As far as we know, all regions set the goal of providing themselves with food as much as possible. How is this going in our area?

— In general, since the introduction of the ban on the import of food products, the regional food market has maintained a stable situation. This year, the region's farmers collected more than 3.8 million tons of grain, which made it possible not only to fully meet the internal needs of the region's population, but also to send the surplus to neighboring regions. The Saratov region is fully self-sufficient in bakery and pasta products, eggs, cereals, vegetables, and vegetable oil. This year the situation with livestock products is somewhat more modest. In general, the region's level of self-sufficiency in meat and meat products is 79%. And if the region’s internal demand for pork and lamb is closed, then beef production covers the population’s demand only by 75%, poultry meat production by only 38%. Only 18% of the region's residents' need for fish is met. At the end of 2013, the level of self-sufficiency in milk was 94%. There are a number of issues regarding self-sufficiency in crop products. Thus, residents of the region are provided with greenhouse vegetables by 81%, and fruits by 34%. This seasonal market niche is currently being filled by imported products.

To date, targets have been defined for all areas of the agro-industrial complex for the next five years. According to the installations, by 2020, milk production is planned to increase to 900 thousand tons, meat - to 270 thousand tons, poultry meat - to 100 thousand tons.

— Valery Vasilyevich, let’s turn to the social sphere. Our traditional problem in recent years has been kindergartens and the lack of places in them. It seems that something was put into operation this year. Can you tell me more?

— Yes, the issue of preschool education remains a priority for us. Over the course of the year, modern kindergartens were opened in the region, including with the participation of socially responsible businesses. For example, in the summer we opened the Tsvetik-Semitsvetik kindergarten in the village of Solnechny. A modern facility with three hundred beds and a swimming pool. The facility was built on the terms of a public-private partnership within the framework of a joint project of the LUKOIL company and the Our Future Regional Social Programs Fund. Its price is 300.6 million rubles.

In total, since the beginning of 2014, 2,733 places for preschoolers have been introduced. To date, the waiting list for children aged 1.5 to 7 years is 11.9 thousand places. The waiting list is completely closed in 25 districts of the region.

— The past year in the region was the Year of Culture. Many creative festivals and competitions took place. Many events were held for gifted children and youth. Did you personally remember anything?

- Let's try to list them. For example, the Third All-Russian Theater Festival named after Oleg Yankovsky was held in triumph. The program of the annual festival includes bright and resonant theatrical performances, meetings with talented artists of different generations, including fellow Saratov residents. In my opinion, the festival makes an invaluable contribution to strengthening the cultural image of the Saratov region, uniting all the best that is created by modern Russian theater.

Then, this year, a project was launched to build a museum of labor glory - this is one of the seven so-called “people's construction projects”.

- What do you have in mind?

— The museum is being built by what is called “the whole world.” Large industrial enterprises of the region and ordinary citizens take part in its construction. A clear task has been set: to open the museum for the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory, which is celebrated in 2015.

The other six projects are the already completed Saratov Regional Philharmonic named after A. Schnittke, the historical building of the theater for young spectators, the Kristall LDS and the Sokol stadium, the new building of the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, and the dormitory of the College of Arts.

— Are these all “people's projects”?

- Yes. We have another “people’s” project in development - a new city park named after N. I. Vavilov in the Leninsky district of Saratov. As part of the discussion of the concept of the future park, several meetings were held with the leadership of the Moscow Institute of Media, Architecture and Design "Strelka", which has extensive experience in the field of urban planning, architecture and communications. We are actively working with the scientific school of SSTU. The search for investors who will be attracted at the project development stage continues.

- Let's go back to the present. The economic situation is not the best. Are there any layoffs expected due to the impending crisis, like in 2008?

— Currently, the situation on the labor market in the region has positive dynamics. The number of unemployed, compared to the same period in 2013, decreased by 15% - to 51 thousand people. The overall unemployment rate is 3.9% (from 4.7%). According to this indicator, the region for the first time reached third place in the Volga Federal District and 14th place in the Russian Federation.

The registered unemployment rate reached its lowest level - 0.8%. As of November, 2.1 thousand people worked in part-time mode in the region. This is less than the figures at the beginning of this year (2.8 thousand people) and the corresponding period last year (2.3 thousand people). For example: in 2009, during the economic crisis, about 42 thousand people worked under part-time employment.

— So you’re not expecting a crisis?

— The groundwork that was created this year, namely the increase in the share of high-tech production in the industrial and agricultural complexes, and the diversified economy of the region in general, provide us with the basis for stable work.

“This was a landmark year for us”