TOMSK, Nov 20 – RIA Tomsk. Representatives of the Tomsk region during a round table in the Federation Council took the initiative to simplify export mechanisms in the field of forestry and wild plants processing, which should stimulate the development of this market segment, the press service of the regional administration said on Wednesday.
According to the press service, the Tomsk delegation took part in a round table of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the implementation of the national project "International Cooperation and Export". Senator Vladimir Kravchenko and the deputy head of the department of the international and regional relations of the Tomsk region administration Maxim Volkov, in particular, voiced problems that arise in the market of processing and export of wild plants, and made proposals to simplify export mechanisms.
“One of the problems (of the Tomsk market of wild plants) is related to the export of pine nuts, where the licensing process takes up to six - eight months. The entire package of documents is accepted only by the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor) apparatus in Moscow, and with any minor error, the department within one month provides a response to refuse to consideration. Then the same procedure in the Ministry of Industry and Trade", - Kravchenko is quoted in the message.
It is noted that the Tomsk delegation proposed to abolish the licensing of export of deep processing of food wild plants (pine kernel, chaga extract, brier and coniferous green substance), as well as amend the Forest Code so that the population can harvest wild plants and medicinal herbs not only for their own needs .
© РИА Томск. Олег Асратян
It is added that the Tomsk region will send an initiative to the Government of the Russian Federation to extend the tax benefit (VAT rate of up to 10%), which is used when selling fruits and berries, to the collection and sale of wild mushrooms, fruits, food and medicinal plants.
Earlier it was also reported that in 2017 the region harvested about 9 thousand tons of wild plants. About 4 thousand tons worth about 80 million dollars were exported. The region plans to double this figure by 2020. In total, more than a thousand kinds of products based on wild plants are produced in the region, a third of which have innovative status.
It was also reported that in 2018, the deputy governor of the Tomsk region for agro-industrial policy and environmental management Andrey Knorr, speaking at parliamentary hearings in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, has already made proposals to remove obstacles that impede the development of the use of renewable natural resources, including the wild-growing processing market. He spoke about the need to adjust the regulatory framework, including export contracts, and the industry support system.
About the "International Cooperation and Export" national project
At present, the "International Cooperation and Export" national project is being implemented in the Russian Federation. Its key goals - are to increase the export of non-primary non-energy goods, increase the share of exports of manufacturing, agricultural products and services in the country's GDP, form an effective system of division of labor and production cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union in order to increase the volume of trade between the Union states.
It includes five projects: "Industrial export", "Export of agricultural products", "International trade logistics", "Export of services" and "Systemic measures for the development of international cooperation and export".