The governor said that industry is working at full capacity in the region. Aircraft and shipbuilding companies are working on state defence and civilian contracts. The Amurstal metallurgical plant, which had not been operational for many years, is working in full force. It plans to produce 1 million tonnes of steel next year. The mining sector produced 23 tonnes of gold last year, which is an absolute record for the Khabarovsk Territory. Wood processing has increased to 46 percent from 14 percent in 2008. The timber processing sector is working steadily.
The region’s exports increased by 40 percent last year and reached $2.1 billion. The share of non-commodity, including non-energy exports, has reached 63 percent.
Vyacheslav Shport also briefed Vladimir Putin on the implementation of the new economic policy in the Far East as outlined by the President, including the establishment of priority development areas. There are three such areas in the region – Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk and Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, and they have 56 resident companies. They have pledged to invest 113 billion rubles in their projects and have already invested some 9 billion rubles. In all, 18 projects are being implemented in the region.
The governor also said the region had implemented the 2012 Presidential Executive Orders in full. Wages are growing, and kindergartens are being built. The governor said they had started working on the May 2018 Executive Order [On National Goals and Strategic Objectives of the Russian Federation through to 2024].
Vladimir Putin pointed out that further efforts must be made to increase real wages, in particular for doctors and teachers, and asked about the region’s priorities and most interesting and promising projects and whether they needed federal assistance.
Vyacheslav Shport said that improving people’s health and standards of living were the priority. He said the region had drafted a healthcare development programme, which provided for the introduction of modern technology and the building of new medical facilities.
The President proposed discussing this issue with the Healthcare Ministry, considering that federal funds will be allocated for healthcare development programmes, in which the Khabarovsk Territory should be included.