The organizing committee of the “Regions – Sustainable Development” contest and the Union of Berry Producers agreed to jointly support national berry growers and processors and create additional financial and non-financial support measures for industry participants.

The corresponding joint work and cooperation agreement was signed by the president of the Organizing Committee of the Contest, Anna Belichenko, and the general director of the Union of Producers of Berry, Irina Koziy.

Currently, there is a lack of modern and technological solutions for the cultivation of berries in the country: automation of irrigation and fertigation, facilities to protect plantations from rain, hail and sun, specialized agricultural machinery, equipment for harvesting, packaging , classification and processing of berries. Producers are interested in preserving the harvest and offering safe, high-quality Russian products for the citizens of the country. To address the aforementioned current issues, the parties (the Organizing Committee and the Union) will develop and implement joint products and activities to support cooperation, production and expansion of the berry and berry product markets.

Berry Union is an association of Russian berry producers and processors, whose objectives are to stimulate the development of the national berry industry, expand the range of Russian berries and improve the quality of berry products. The union unites:

• Producers and processors of berries;
• Planting material suppliers;
• Manufacturers of fertilizers and phytosanitary products;
• Suppliers of technologies, equipment and materials for the cultivation of berries, packaging, storage and processing of berry products;
• Experts, scientists, agronomists, technologists and engineers in the berry industry;
• Companies engaged in the wholesale and retail trade of berries in Russia.

Berry Union works to ensure the arrival of investments in the berry industry and the expansion of the presence of Russian berry products on the domestic market and on the shelves of retail chains in Russia and other countries, conducts a dialogue with government departments and specialized organizations. , participates in the development of support programs for the berry industry, carries out information exchange between berry farms, publishes specialized literature and the specialized magazine “Berries from Russia”, holds an international conference “Berries from Russia” , scientific and practical seminars directly at berry farms and online training events, invite foreign and Russian experts to consult and cooperate with berry farms.

The Regions – Sustainable Development competition, as a non-state institution for the development and support of entrepreneurship, provides financial support (financing and concessional loans for projects, attracting government support measures) and consolidated non-financial support (expert, consultancy, partnership and others) to entrepreneurs and constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The mission of the Competition is to create the maximum number of opportunities and “growth points” for Russian companies in one place and with one call.

Every year, the Organizing Committee of the Competition receives more than 500 applications for investment projects, business initiatives from all constituent entities of the Russian Federation and at various stages of preparation. Within the framework of the competitive procedure, “single coordination” of the preparation of projects for their successful execution and obtaining positive decisions by:

• associated banks and investment funds,
• federal and regional state agencies and development institutions,
• the largest industrial associations (associations, unions),
• members of the partner ecosystem.

On May 12, 2020, the Organizing Committee of the Regions – Annual Public Award for Sustainable Development, the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), the Russian Export Center JSC (REC) signed an Agreement on Cooperation and Joint Launch of the Annual International Competitive Selection of Investments. Projects with Integrating Effect “Eurasian Competition” Integration “, joint financial and non-financial support for cooperation and promising investment projects in the EAEU countries, export of successful cases to the Eurasian space.

“In many areas of our country's agro-industrial complex, there is a shortage of highly efficient modern production facilities. The organizing committee of the contest “Regions-Sustainable Development”, as a non-state institution for the development and support of entrepreneurship, together with the main industry associations and unions, develops non-state mechanisms for the development of relevant sectors of the economy. cooperation and scientific and technical export potential of Russian companies. We are happy to see Berry Union as a member of our Expert Council and as a partner and look forward to a productive interaction. ”Said Anna Belichenko, President of the Competition Organizing Committee.

“It is the small regional farms that are the base of the berry industry. The development of berry cultivation, an increase in the volume and quality of berry products in Russia depends on its success. The Berry Union hopes that the cooperation with the organizing committee of the contest "Regions - Sustainable Development" will contribute to the expansion of investments and the improvement of the technologies used in the industry " He commented on the signing of the cooperation agreement of the Director General of the Union. from berry growers Irina Koziy.