Sunday June 21, 07:31 PM
Russia's Medvedev vows farm aid to boost self-sufficiency
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MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev vowed Sunday to invest in farming despite the financial crisis in a bid to make the country more self-sufficient.
In a Russian television interview, Medvedev said farmers would receive government support in the hope of lessening reliance on foreign produce.
"Our idea of food security is that we should be able to rely largely on ourselves when it comes to certain products," the president said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Kremlin (Frankfurt: 513350 - news) .
Medvedev stressed the government would continue its support for farming, while highlighting the sector's resilience during the global downturn.
"Farming was better prepared for the crisis than other industries," he said in the interview, set to be broadcast later Sunday.
"That is a result of the high level of support it was given, the financial aid provided to the sector," he added.
Medvedev also urged farmers to increase production of milk and meat to insure prices of the staple foods remained "reasonable".
"As soon as the exchange rates of foreign currencies fluctuate, particularly the dollar against the ruble, prices go up," he pointed out.
A fall in the ruble earlier this year prompted a rise in the price of imported goods.
The currency lost a third of its value in a programmed devaluation over several months amid the financial crisis, but has since strengthened.
Medvedev also said his family mainly ate Russian produce.
"At home with my family, as I believe is common among many Russian families... we think foreign produce contains many chemicals," he said.
"That is why, when our family chooses, we prefer Russian food," he said.
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