President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends, I congratulate you on your professional holiday.
Farmers, workers in the fields, agribusiness directors and specialists, agrarian experts and workers in the food processing industry – all are celebrating this holiday. This date is marked by everyone living in the countryside, and this includes millions of people throughout our vast country.
Each of you makes your contribution to developing agriculture, which over recent years has produced some very good results and is consolidating its role as a key strategic sector in our national economy. This year’s grain harvest reached the record level of around 100 million tonnes. Harvests of crops such as sunflowers, potatoes and others are also growing steadily, and the livestock sector is producing good results too.
Russia’s agriculture sector has immense development potential and the state authorities will put even greater effort into creating the right conditions for the sector to keep growing and reliably guarantee our country’s food security. I am sure that our farmers will be the masters not only on our domestic market but will also significantly strengthen their position in the global market’s international competition too.
Friends, I thank you sincerely for your hard work and your loyal bond to the land, for preserving the centuries-old Russian farming traditions, and for working with success too at modern production facilities, mastering advanced technology, and attaining new summits in your work. I thank you for your patience, persistence, hard work and talent. The character of those working in the countryside has been forged by the endurance and generous spirit of numerous generations and helps you today to overcome difficulties and continue on the road forward.
Once more, I congratulate you on this holiday and wish you good health, new achievements in your work, joy and happiness.