OREANDA-NEWS. June 25, 2009. The message of greetings reads, in part:

“Over the past decades, members of the Academy have made a significant contribution to strengthening the intellectual and economic potential of our country. Nikolai Vavilov [botanist and geneticist], Pavel Lukyanenko [plant selection breeder], Konstantin Skryabin [biologist specialising in parasites] and other prominent Russian scholars all worked here. Their efforts contributed in large measure to the creation of the theoretical and practical foundations that enabled the development of Russia’s agriculture and its ability to resolve complex agricultural problems.

Today, in the context of modernising the Russian economy and managing its transition to an innovative path of development, it is important to significantly enhance the effectiveness of the Academy. We need to ensure the widespread use of theoretical developments and technologies in crop and livestock production. Of course we also need to expand relations between the Academy and academic centres in Russia and abroad.

I am confident that your knowledge and experience will continue to be useful in the domestic agricultural sector and help ensure food and environmental safety of Russia.”

The Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences works on realising and extending the scientific potential of Russia’s agro-industrial complex. It includes about 200 institutions and 12 agricultural experimental facilities that employ more than 14,000 researchers.