The message reads, in part:
“For many decades, cooperation has played a big role in the economic life of our country.
Consumer and production companies actively participated in the procurement, processing and sales of agrarian products, as well as in commercial and household services in rural areas. Owing to their energy, acumen and responsibility, they have done much for the sustainable socioeconomic development of the regions and the improvement of the living standards of our people.
Importantly, today the rich traditions of domestic rural cooperation are receiving another lease of life. The cooperative movement is growing and expanding. It is making a tangible contribution to the efforts to ensure Russia’s food safety, strengthen the positions of its small and medium-sized businesses and create new, modern jobs.”