OREANDA-NEWS.  December 16, 2011. Record-high harvest of the main socially important agricultural products in Russia (sugar beets, grains, sunflower) as a litmus test exposed serious problems in the field of product processing. It was discussed at the meeting of the Expert Council of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) on Agro-Industry, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The Expert Council discussed the problems associated with storage, purchasing, transportation, processing and sales of agricultural products, raw materials and food products – in view of compliance with the antimonopoly law. It was observed that effectively at all stages production capacities in Russia proved to be insufficient after record-high harvesting. Also there are problems of interaction between agrarians and the authorities – in particular, long periods of processing documents for transporting agricultural products by controlling agencies.

Presentations at the Expert Council were given by representatives of the Russian Grain Union, Russia’s Union of Sugar Producers, Russian Bakers Union, Russian Union of Milk- Industry Enterprises, All-Russian Research Institute of Grain and Grain Processing Products, etc. Over 50 persons took part in the meeting of the Expert Council: representatives of non-governmental organisations in agro-industry, business community, academia, government bodies.

“FAS will sum up all proposals put forward at the Expert Council and will present them at an inter-branch level and at higher levels of the government authorities to devise measures, particularly, to achieve more efficient and quick operation of controlling bodies in the agro-industry”, summarised the Head of FAS Department for Control over Chemical Industry and Agro-Industry, Teimuraz Kharitonashvili.

The Expert Council also heard information about the third antimonopoly package of laws that was signed by the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev at the beginning of December 2011 – the amendments to the Federal Laws “On Protection of Competition”, “On Natural Monopolies”, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations, etc., devised by FAS Russia.

“With all liberalization of the antimonopoly law, the third antimonopoly package increases responsibility for the most serious violations – cartels”, emphasised Deputy Head of FAS Russia, Andrey Tsuganov.

The amendments are important, in particular, for protecting and developing competition in agro-industrial markets. In the period of adverse weather conditions in 2010 some companies committed violations of the antimonopoly law. In August 2010 - July 2011 FAS Russia and its regional offices initiated over 1000 cases for violating the antimonopoly law and other laws on the markets of food products. Upon the outcome of the cases, the antimonopoly bodies imposed turnover fines and other types of fines for the total amount over 117 million Rubles. With adopting the third antimonopoly package of laws, the system for protecting competition will become more efficient.