Gov't official comments on agriculture development

"If interests of agrarians are not represented in the newly elected StateDuma, a positive development of agriculture in Russia should not beexpected in the next few years", Sergey Dankvert, Deputy Minister ofAgriculture, declared at a meeting of the Russian union of stock breeders,which was established in February 2002.According to him, the most efficient period for agrarians was bound withthe activity of deputy agrarian groups. However this opportunity was notused to its best advantage: agriculture did not get any preference orprotective mechanisms like import taxes. The creation of the Russianagrarian movement is a positive tendency, Dankvert noted. The Union ofstock breeders should also act as a lobbying organization. In this respecthe mentioned the Russian poultry union, which "played a passive role in theinternational affair regarding US poultry imports to Russia"..