Agricultural companies could repay their debts in grain

Allowing agricultural companies to repay their debts to the state in grain would contribute to the stabilization of prices for this product, Ivan Starikov, the chairman of the Federation Council agrarian committee, said at a press conference today. In his opinion, such mechanism of restructuring the debts of agricultural producers will enable them to remove about 10 million tons of grain from the market, which is suffering from overproduction. "Additionally, a state reserve fund could be eventually created", he believes.

In the opinion of the committee's members, a favorable natural and climate situation for the agricultural industry will not last longer than two or three years. Such fund would enable the state to reduce tension without importing grain when its production in Russia drops.