Putin vows to support farmers

TAMBOV. March 2. KAZINFORM Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed on Wednesday to provide greater support to farmers, no matter how difficult the economic situation in the country. Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

"In any economic situation, the government will do its best to help you work effectively," Putin told a farmer's association in central Russia.

The government has invested more than 240 billion rubles ($8.4 billion) in agriculture over the past five years, the premier said.

Despite a severe drought and widespread forest fires in summer 2010, Russia has managed to cover most of its domestic grain and livestock needs in the past few years, Putin said.

Russia now has over 200,000 farm clusters and more than 100,000 individual farms. Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version