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| Grain will sprout abundantly. Kherson and Zaporozhye summed up the year |
| 2023-12-31 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov [REGNUM] The integration of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions into Russia was in many ways easier for them than for the Donbass republics. There was no long period of independent navigation, when the solution to literally all vital problems depended on themselves. The transition to Russian standards and laws began immediately, as did direct assistance from the mainland, which became involved in the development of regions that froze in the late 80s. = At the same time, the region lived through 2023 with almost half of its territory and without regional centers, where the main industrial enterprises remained. Currently, these are agricultural areas with small settlements, the largest of which are Melitopol and Berdyansk. Part of the territory continues to be shelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the right bank of the Dnieper, a considerable part of the population has fled their places of residence, and the Kherson region experienced severe flooding last summer after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam by Ukraine. Nevertheless, life does not stand still. The regions are systematically developing, programs for their socio-economic development have been adopted, and, probably, for the first time in more than 30 years, people see that this is not just a piece of paper for elections. For example, a beautiful road from Crimea along the Sea of Azov appeared without cutting ribbons or pretentious speeches, in working order. And those who work “on the ground” unanimously claim that the main achievement over the past year is the changed consciousness of local residents. They saw the practical difference between Ukraine and Russia, felt their involvement in a big country, and received hope for a better future, standing on a solid foundation. And the further they go, the more they get involved in work that they previously avoided “just in case.” Qualitative changes and stability are the basis that will inevitably ensure the return of people. Especially when peace comes, which everyone is looking forward to. And the restoration of new regions of Russia, according to experts, will stimulate the development of the entire country. GRAIN AS A DRIVER The economy of the southern macroregion primarily rests on three pillars: agriculture, fishing and tourism, as well as the transport infrastructure deeply connected to them. These areas were the main focus of the authorities last year. So far, the main driver is agriculture; last year, 2.2 million tons of grain alone were collected from a million hectares of available land in the Zaporozhye region, and 1.5 million tons in the Kherson region. Moreover, the harvest was sold to the markets of Africa and the Middle East thanks to the state “grain operator” created by the Cossacks, an intermediary between farmers and wholesale buyers. The organization is engaged in purchasing grain and leguminous crops and their subsequent sale. “This allowed farmers to sell their crops at the market price and be guaranteed to receive the proceeds,” explains Deputy Head of the Regional Government Andrei Kozenko. “This year the company also began to independently cultivate land plots.” The assets also include the famous Melitopol cherries, grapes, orchards and greenhouses, on which a big bet is made. According to the governor of the Zaporozhye region, Evgeniy Balitsky , immediate plans include the implementation of a large-scale project to irrigate agricultural land worth about 500 billion rubles. It is expected that it will triple yields and effectively grow inexpensive vegetables. “In the Soviet Union, this project began to be implemented, but was not completed. When we implement it, without special investments in the agricultural sector we will be able to harvest not 2.2 million tons from our million hectares, as now, but six million tons, and this will not only be grains, but also vegetable crops,” Balitsky said journalists. Agricultural producers are not left to their own devices; they have access to all types of support and benefits valid on the territory of the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of last year, the Russian authorities have been supplying farmers in the Kherson region with equipment, and the regional Ministry of Agriculture has been accepting applications for leasing of agricultural equipment. Over the past year, 166 agricultural enterprises received support in the amount of 350 million rubles. Without such support, they are unlikely to be able to swim out on their own. For example, until 2022, the villages of the Kherson region located along the Dnieper lived at the expense of high-tech greenhouse farms and the wholesale market in Velikiye Kopany. The flood after the release of the Kakhovka Reservoir hit this business hard. However, they intend to return the former glory of the “main vegetable garden of the country” to the region, including through direct financial assistance. To promote the products, it is planned to launch a regional brand “Made in the Kherson region”. Currently, fairs are actively held in many towns and villages, where residents can buy vegetables, fruits, and sausages at low prices, and farmers can show and sell their products. The preferential taxation system, which is being introduced thanks to the free economic zone created in two regions, should also contribute to active development. The special regime will affect all entrepreneurs: both those who are just starting to implement projects and those who are already working. Previously and O. Minister of Economic Development of the Zaporozhye Region Yuriy Guskov said that about 100 companies express a desire to become residents of the SEZ in this territory. At the same time, a lot depends on irrigation. The decline in the level of the Dnieper has made the reclamation systems built in Soviet times useless, and in the steppe zone with an arid climate without water it is hardly possible to develop agricultural production. This is a key challenge for regional authorities, as is the construction of processing facilities that will allow them to develop the Russian market with its complex logistics much more efficiently. DREAMS OF INDUSTRY It will be possible to truly talk about the launch of industrial production only after the reunification of the entire territory of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions within single borders. Kherson has traditionally been one of the largest shipbuilding centers; a machine plant and port facilities have been preserved there. Zaporozhye, in turn, is the center of metallurgy - both ferrous and non-ferrous. And without high-quality metal, it is unlikely that the enterprises that have survived in Melitopol will be able to fully operate. Primarily in the field of machine tool building and engine production. The largest industrial facility so far remains the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which operates as one unit to meet its own electricity needs. The entire distribution infrastructure around it was purposefully destroyed by Ukraine, and throughout 2023 there was a constant threat of attack on the station itself. Its inclusion in the network is also one of the prerequisites for economic development and investment in new territories; for business (especially manufacturing), a guaranteed connection to the network is almost more important than the taxation system. The same applies to other supporting infrastructure. Thus, Ukraine did not want to engage in gasification of the Kherson region; according to this indicator, the region was covered by no more than 27%. And in July, the Ukrainian side cut off the gas pipeline to the south, from which the Zaporozhye region was supplied. But this confirmed the truth “every cloud has a silver lining.” By the beginning of the heating season, a main gas pipeline from Crimea was laid in the Kherson region, from which a new branch was diverted from to Genichesk. Another gas pipeline will connect Genichesk and the village of Novotroitskoye, the center of one of the largest agricultural areas in the region. In addition, the possibility of constructing a gas pipeline from the Zaporozhye region is being studied; three branches will make it possible to loop the gas transportation system of Crimea and the entire Azov region. In October, the Zaporozhye region was connected to the unified GTS of Russia. Berdyansk was the first to receive Russian gas, then its supply was resumed in Melitopol, and from the beginning of November the phased connection of residential buildings and social facilities of Energodar began. In total, this is the base that will allow the implementation of the plan to launch in 2024–2025 the production of electric welding equipment, aerated concrete blocks, paper filters, ketchups, mayonnaise and sauces, processing of polyurethane and polymers. In the Kherson region they want to build a plant for the production of lines for the food processing industry, and since the beginning of 2022, 13 new enterprises have already been opened here. In March, Governor Vladimir Saldo signed a decree establishing the Industrial Development Fund. Investment-oriented loans are planned to be provided at a rate of 1% to 2%, depending on the characteristics of the project. In the Zaporozhye region at the beginning of 2023, there were 183 enterprises, 65 of which are working at full capacity and producing products that are in demand on the Russian market. According to Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov , they plan to create a powerful cluster of high-tech foundry production in the region. The Melitopol Automotive Parts Plant is currently working on domestic orders throughout the country, as well as to Belarus and Kazakhstan. And in September, Nikolai Elantsev, Minister of Industry and Energy of the region, spoke about plans to create an industrial park . “The Zaporozhye region has always been famous for the automotive industry and its component base. It is planned that foundry production and machining will be developed on the site, and it is planned to launch new production facilities in terms of the component base,” he emphasized. And the inclusion of the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk (and, possibly, small ports of the Kherson region) into the transport and logistics network of Russia will not only speed up the integration of new territories, but will also greatly accelerate the development of any industry. HUMAN FACTOR The southern regions experience the most acute shortage of people, and this problem cannot be solved by conventional organizational methods. As mentioned above, the two regions did not include the entire territory of Russia, which has already reduced the human resource. A lot of people left after the start of the SVO, and first of all these were the working population and young people. In many settlements, it is mainly the elderly who remain, with no one to care for them except social services. In Velikaya Lepetikha, for example, each employee has 13–15 people in his care who require constant attention. We even had to organize the work of a free hairdresser - there was not a single one left in the city. And the humanitarian and environmental disaster caused by a major flood crippled the Kherson region even more. Nevertheless, she showed her true attitude towards people. All possible resources were used to save residents of water-damaged cities and villages. As the Minister of Labor and Social Policy of the region Alla Barkhatnova says , for the first two weeks her employees practically did not sleep. About 5.5 thousand people were settled in quickly equipped temporary accommodation centers, and about 6 thousand more were taken to other villages and to relatives. “Today, there are only 702 people left in the TAP; 17,590 citizens have been provided with both one-time payments and compensation for lost housing and property in a timely manner. 15,970 people have received housing certificates and have already purchased housing, while 5,200 citizens are awaiting approval of their request. No new entity has had such support; they even envy us. But I believe that the residents of the Kherson region should have received such support,” says Barkhatnova. In the new regions, almost 90 percent or more of people received Russian passports, took out insurance policies and received pensions. The regional social protection system has been restored from scratch, and a completely different quality of medical services has emerged. In Genichesk, local residents told Regnum news agency that under Ukraine they had to go to Crimea for any more or less complex help. Now it is available right on site. Last year, 1.5 billion rubles worth of medical equipment alone was sent to the Zaporozhye region from Greater Russia, and 2.1 billion rubles were invested in the repair of medical institutions. According to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin , in the new regions over the year, 1,857 residential buildings and 635 healthcare, educational, cultural and sports facilities were restored, 205 roads were repaired, 914 heat and power supply facilities and systems were established, including 28 water supply and water disposal, 22.9 km of networks were repaired, of which 18.8 km were heating mains. “The Russian Federation invests a lot of money in its land, in its region, in its people. This allows us to work normally, people see that there are no temporary workers here, as was the case in Ukraine, people have come here who are investing in roads, medicine, and social services. They see that Russia is forever. That in Russia, words are followed by deeds, and this begins with the president: he said it, so it will be so. When they realized this, they began to work differently,” says Zaporozhye governor Evgeniy Balitsky. Although it notes an acute and widespread shortage of doctors. In the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, something unprecedented has begun - clearing the beds of small rivers, organizing normal work with garbage, and environmental projects. The work of the Askania-Nova biosphere reserve has been restored, and the improvement of popular recreation areas has begun. One of the main “folk crafts” here has always been tourism; cities and towns on the coast of the Black and Azov Seas lived at the expense of vacationers. But it was a wild development without any plan. Now the official guidelines of local authorities are the construction and restoration of infrastructure, the development of transport, and the creation of full-fledged tourism clusters. Last year, the Zaporozhye region signed the first agreements on cooperation in the field of tourism with the Kaluga and Yaroslavl regions. Thus, everything on which the usual life stood received a powerful impetus, and only military operations are a deterrent to a sharp increase in the standard of living. But as soon as they run out, the grain thrown in 2023 will sprout abundantly. And people will certainly return home, and others will come after them - closer to the fertile land, the sea and the hot southern sun. |
| Posted by:badanov |