President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends,
I would like to congratulate all agricultural and processing industry workers and veterans on their professional holiday, and express my heartfelt thanks for your constructive and important work as well as for your devotion to your job and love for your native land.
The results of your concerted daily efforts are in demand in every household, every family. You ensure the food security of Russia and strengthen our country’s position as one of the leading agricultural producers in the world, and you perform these two duties magnificently.
Over the past few years, our agro-industrial complex has achieved some quite impressive results and this is no overstatement. It is vital that the industry as a leader constantly moves forward and boosts its efficiency and production capacities. Russia currently not only provides itself with all kinds of food commodities, but is also increasing its exports and entering global markets every single year.
I would like to emphasise that even during these hard times of the coronavirus pandemic, against the backdrop of all the new restrictions, the Russian agro-industrial complex continues to function in a stable manner. Your work shows not only great devotion, but also courage: in the most complicated months and weeks of this year you never allowed any disruptions in food deliveries; sowing was conducted on time, as well as the harvesting campaign.
It can be said already that this year will yield a good harvest, once again over 120 million tonnes of grain. I would note that figures in excess of 100 million tonnes have until recently been considered record-breaking. Now, thanks to your work, it is a routine result. In addition to this, livestock production, including meat and milk, has also significantly increased. Greenhouse vegetable farming is also developing at a good pace.
I would like to reiterate, these achievements would have been impossible without your professionalism, energy and devotion, without your readiness to improve, learn advanced technologies and approaches in agriculture.
I am quite sure that you will see new successes and achievements, the more so as much remains to be done to modernise and increase the efficiency of the agro-industrial complex, to improve the competitiveness of Russian products in Russia and abroad, and, I would like to emphasise, for the comprehensive development of rural areas, their social and educational infrastructure, the construction of up-to-date healthcare and culture facilities, and a comfortable living environment for people, for families with children. There are many families with many children living in villages, and this is wonderful, our future lies with them.
I would like to once again congratulate all the Russian agro-industrial complex workers on their professional holiday, and wish you every success, wellbeing, good health and all the very best to you and your families.