Nizhny Novgorod farmers with their families were gifted nearly 100 million rubles.

      Photo of the government of the Nizhny Novgorod region

      Four farmers from Nizhny Novgorod received grants totaling 99.5 million rubles, which they will use for building new facilities and purchasing equipment. This was reported by the press service of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Minister of Agriculture Nikolay Denisov noted that family farms are of great importance in the agro-industrial complex, just like large enterprises. He emphasized that the grants are not just financial aid but an investment in the future of the region's agriculture. Thanks to them, farmers will be able to expand or modernize production, acquire modern machinery, increase volumes, and improve product quality.

      The maximum amount of a single grant is 30 million rubles. Projects are selected by the regional commission based on several criteria: the importance of the activity, ownership or lease of land, the number of animals and machinery, the presence of production facilities, and membership in agricultural cooperatives.

      One of the recipients is entrepreneur Vladislav Smetanin from the Varnavinsky district. He said that in 2020, during the pandemic, he decided to engage in meat husbandry with his brother. With the help of specialists, he developed a business plan and won the "Agrostart" grant, which he used to purchase equipment and Hereford cattle. Currently, the farmer is building a new meat farm for 350 animals with a fattening area.

      Another grant was awarded to Alexander Prokhorov from the Vorotynsky district, who plans to build a cattle barn for 120 head of beef cattle in a unbound keeping system. Roman Shcherbani from the Dalnekonstantinovsky district plans to purchase equipment for milk processing and feed preparation, and Kodzhaev Ulfat Isahkan from the Shatkovsky district plans to establish a milk production facility.

      The competition for grants to develop family farms has been held in the region since 2012. Over this period, more than 100 projects of farm households have received support.

      Anna Vasileva