Rustam Minnikhanov: Every municipality must be engaged in support of entrepreneurship

Support and development of small and medium-size entrepreneurship must be a mission of Tatarstan leadership and every municipality, RT President Rustam Minnikhanov stated at a debriefing of the republican Investment Development Agency.

Director of Investment Development Agency Linar Yakupov reported on outcomes of the agency’s activity.

To the point, the agency was established on June 1, 2011, by restructuring the Committee for small and medium-size entrepreneurship. Besides entrepreneurship development, the agency is engaged in attraction of investments and development of state-private partnership.

Linar Yakupov informed that 1,097 bln roubles of federal funds were raised by Tatarstan for support of small and medium-sized business in 2011 (60 % more than the year before). Seven programs on supporting small and medium-size entrepreneurship were realized at the republican level. Total sum meant for supporting small and medium-size entrepreneurship made 813,2 mln roubles.

According to Head of Investment Development Agency, the agency became a member of World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) in 2011.

President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov marked good results of work of Investment Development Agency. However, notwithstanding efficient activity in the sphere of creating big infrastructural platforms for small and medium-size business, the work at the regional levels on backing small business is held not efficiently enough.

The Tatarstan President set out certain objectives for Investment Development Agency. In particular, Rustam Minnikhanov encouraged carrying out competitions within the “Leasing-grant” program more often and urged supervision over approved projects implementation.

Rustam Minnikhanov noted successful experience of creating platforms for small and medium-size business close to large enterprises such as KIP “Master”, industrial park “Kamskie polyany”.

The President reminded about agro-industrial park expected to appear in Kazan. He believes that creation of such places for selling agricultural products in other republican towns should be taken into consideration.

In opinion of Rustam Minnikhanov, Investment Development Agency should be engaged in fulfilling government order by small and medium-size entrepreneurs. RT President requested also to intensify work on establishing enterprises operating in processing oil chemical output.

Housing and communal services and agricultural sector face wide prospects in the sphere of small and medium-size business, Rustam Minnikhanov considers.