Dmitry Medvedev called in the country’s leading private businessmen to discuss how the business community can contribute to the disaster relief effort. The president said “I am not talking about setting up funds of whatever sort, because they already exist and accounts have been opened, where all who wish to do so can send money. And I know that members of the business community are already doing this.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev conceded Thursday that a quarter of Russian crops have been lost in the recent drought, leaving many farms on the brink of bankruptcy. The government will prevent increases in the price of grain and fodder, which will eventually affect the prices of food products like flour, bread, meat, and milk, Medvedev said at a government agriculture meeting in Rostov.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting in Taganrog yesterday on the stabilisation of the domestic grain market. Measures to address the consequences of the drought, support for agricultural producers and food prices were also discussed.The meeting was attended by Presidential Aide Arkady Dvorkovich, Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Southern Federal District Vladimir Ustinov, Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubev, Deputy Finance Minister Alexander Novak and heads of agricultural enterprises and cooperatives.

The President stressed the importance of interaction between the regions in addressing these issues and rigorous control over the funds allocated to support agricultural producers who have suffered losses. To date, financial support totals about 35 billion rubles, and further allocations are expected from the regions.

The meeting participants discussed in detail grain market pricing, the development of logistics capabilities in Russia to satisfy the needs of the regions affected by wildfires and the drought, the exports moratorium, as well as the possibility of extending the loans for agribusinesses and the forecast start of fodder grain trading from the intervention fund.

The President instructed the Government to monitor food prices in connection with a poor harvest caused by natural disasters.

Commenting on the decision to impose a temporary moratorium on the export of grain, the President stressed the need to provide legal support to exporters on a state level, to make sure that foreign buyers unequivocally see the temporary ban as a force majeure and inability to make deliveries.

Earlier Dmitry Medvedev held a working meeting with Governor of the Rostov Region Vasily Golubev, who briefed the President about the socio-economic situation in the region.

President Dmitry Medvedev visits Pioneer Gold mine in Far East

Dmitry Medvedev attended the launch of a hydrometallurgical plant at the Pioneer gold deposit and of the Olekminsk mining and concentrating plant, which are parts of an ore mining and smelting cluster being established in the Amur Region by Petrovalosk PLC, the London quoted mining company.