OREANDA-NEWS. August 27, 2010. St. Petersburg authorities and business will take essential measures to stabilize food market. The information has been announced today at “Lenexpo” Business Forum by the Deputy Chairman of St. Petersburg Committee for economic development, industrial policy and commerce, Mr. Igor Ilyuhin. This large meeting is organized in the framework of St. Petersburg Day at the International exhibition and fair “Agrorus 2010”.

Forum is devoted to the current situation at St. Petersburg Food Market and is aimed to solve urgent problems of the regional agricultural complex in the current economic conditions.

While discussing the topic, Igor Ilyuhin emphasized that the improvement of current food situation would require joint efforts. He considers the situation to be difficult but not critical. “There should not be any panic, we still have grain reserves left from 2009, Southern Regions have yielded rich harvest, and there is a good forecast for Siberian territories. At first, we should wait for the final results of our grain campaign”, - said Mr. Ilyuhin.

He is convinced that mass media is partly responsible for such food agiotage, which provokes price increase. Bread prices may grow by 1-2 rubles but there will not be any deficit.  St. Petersburg administration is intended to keep current prices for the most common kinds of bread.

25 enterprises, introducing a wide variety of industrial and food production, are currently demonstrated at St. Petersburg Exhibition. But being a large scientific and industrial center, the City does not separate itself from the agricultural sector. St. Petersburg was the host of the first Russian agricultural exhibition and within last years it has turned into a large food industry center. A large center of farmers’ trade “Ozerky” has been recently put into operation; it is open to all food suppliers from any region of Russia and “near abroad”.