OREANDA-NEWS. August 23, 2010. Business program of International Agro-industrial Exhibition and Fair “Agrorus” has always paid much attention to the development of small-scale agricultural rural business. And this season will not be an exception. A new program of agro-industrial parks development (agricultural cooperatives) will be demonstrated in the Pavilion 7 of “Lenexpo” exhibition and congress center by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation.

Agro-industrial parks are the initiative of the Russian Minister of Agriculture, Mrs. Elena Skrynnik. They are aimed to develop small scale agricultural business in the rural areas and implement advanced manufacturing and processing technologies.

Agro-park founders are agricultural products manufacturers. The park infrastructure possesses processing units, logistic centers, wholesale and retail warehouses, transportation services, education centers, agricultural equipment service centers, business –centers with regional representations of equipment and fertilizer supply companies and other infrastructural objects.  The government supports agro-parks and provides subsides and subsidiary loans. Universities and scientific and research centers supply them with the latest innovation technologies.

As a result, such agro-industrial parks should help agro manufacturers sell their production at the regional and interregional markets at advantageous price, and supply customers with ecological and cheap products.

Some agro-park pilot programs have already been working in Chuvash and Mordovia  Republics, Ulyanovsk and Moscow Regions and some other places.