FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

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Putin Boosts Agriculture Self-Sufficiency at Stavropol Meeting

Oct. 30, 2018 (EIRNS)—Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin attended a meeting on agriculture in Stavropol Territory, one of Russia’s main farm regions, and reviewed the successes made over the past five years, and the “strategic goals” to be met. He reported on how national agriculture output had grown by 20% over the five-year period, saying, “This is a breakthrough, without exaggeration, a real advance.” Putin emphasized this by remarking on production and exports in 2017. He said,

“Last year exports of foodstuffs and agricultural commodities increased 21% and surpassed $20 billion. Until very recently this seemed impossible. Let me remind you: Our arms sales, which have always been a source of pride, amount to $15 billion. Agricultural producers surpassed this export volume by $5 billion.”