Rafkat Kantyukov: ‘Innopolis built a gas pipe for 700m cubic metres but consumed only 5…’
State District Power Plant of Zainsk did not take almost 1,5bn cubic metres of Gazprom gas
Two applications were filed for obtaining a residency status of Priority Development Area (PDA) in Naberezhnye Chelny – by Chinese Haier and Kamsky Agroindustrial Complex, meat producer from Tatarstan. The largest metallurgic factory TEMPO will join them soon. The Ministry of Economy asks all levels of the government for further attraction of investors. A correspondent of Realnoe Vremya was a witness of how deputies urged the government to not only boast about achievements but also stress the problems.
Extraction grows, industry maintains the level
The Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan Oleg Pelevin presented a report on the results of the work of the executive authority in 2015 to the Committee on Economy, Investments and Entrepreneurship. In general, the indicators, which were presented by the ministry, were not new. So, Pelevin reminded that the realization of investment projects in the republic, development of support tool of investment development, small and medium business and the realization of anti-crisis measures allowed to make the volume of GRP in 2014 closer to the level in 2014. It made up 1,8 trillion rubles.
And the industry, agriculture and construction became the key growth points. The volume of consumer market fell more than others. Workforce productivity in 2015 has a tendency to growth, but its paces significantly became slower, which, according to an estimate, are equal to 100,5% compared to the level in 2014. Industrial production in Tatarstan hardly maintained last year's level and even showed a 0,4% growth. Meanwhile, mineral extraction, a traditional driver of the economy of Tatarstan, demonstrated a 3% growth (our reviewer Albert Bikbov wrote about this phenomenon many times), but manufacturing, on the contrary, 'became slower' by 1%. It happened mainly because of transport, machine building, resin and wood production. Textiles and clothing industry even dropped by 50%, compared with 2014.
'SDPP of Zainsk did not take almost 1,5bn gas because it became uncompetitive'
As for electricity, gas and water production and distribution, it reduced by more than 3%. The director general of Gazprom mezhregiongaz Kazan Rafkat Kantyukov drew the attention to the energy problem. He reminded that the need of the Deep Conversion Complex for gas, which is being built by TAIF, is 1,5bn cubic metres per year. 'How will you provide them?' he wonders. 'What is more, our energy fell. State District Power Plant of Zainsk did not take almost 1,5bn cubic metres of gas because it became unprofitable.'
Kantyukov remembered that use of gas in Tatarstan is falling, and it is inextricably linked with the economy of the republic. Innopolis built a gas pipe that consumes up to 700m (Editor's Note: cubic metres) and consumed only 5 last year… Well, now Ammonia will act, there is no question, it was given a billion,' he tells.
'It needs to be developed. We will do it, the rest stops it much. And I don't see any different image in recent years. As for the success, we ourselves know about it,' the deputy concluded. Having noted that narrow places, especially in the East of the republic, are already palpable, the deputy chairman of the Committee Marat Galeyev supported his colleague. 'Concentrate on the problems while reporting, please: they are to be solved, they are inexorably advancing, we don't have the time,' he urged not to hide the presence of difficulties. All in all manufacturing accounts for 70% of the industry of Tatarstan, mineral extraction makes up 23,6% and production of energy sources is 6,4%.
Government was reminded about low salaries
A situation on consumer market of Tatarstan is no less alarm. The reasons are banal: reduction of the level of income of the population, which led to the redistribution of the structure of the costs, inflation processes and people's numerous loans. As a result, the year-end turnover of retail trade decreased by almost 13% compared to 2014 and made up 776,2bn rubles. According to official data only, consumer prices grew by 10,7%. But, as the Ministry of Economy notes, it is 2,2% lower the average indicator in Russia. Products are what became more expensive among all them. So, incomes per capita were equal to 31,500 rubles per month, the growth is 5,5,% in comparison with 2014. However, real cash income reduced by 6,1% against a background of a gradual acceleration of inflation: from 102,9% in January to 110,7% in December 2015. This way, purchasing power of the population dropped to 4,08 of the market basket in 2015 (4,33 of the market basket in 2014), according to the document.
Instead, Pelevin reminded that the lifespan of the population has increased since 2010 and the average salary of people of Tatarstan, which has been 1,7 times higher – 29,000 rubles. Here Kantyukov refreshed in his memory that the ex-Ministry of Economy and the acting head of the National Bank of the Republic of Tatarstan Midkhat Shagiakhmetov set a task to reach an average salary equal to 40,000 rubles. 'Where are the 40,000? Well, I have it as well as Tatneft, and that's it. 29 is also a very low salary, work on it should be carried out too,' he urged. Deputy Salikhov also supported him and noted that it would be good to compare results with targets in reports. 'Did not you deliberately mention them in the report or did not we reach it?' he asks.
The chairman of the Committee Rafis Burganov mentioned this topic again after the speech of the deputy head of the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan Insar Galeyev. 'I'm looking at the reports… It's another conversation. There must be some indicators that would show the effectiveness of our work,' he stated. In the deputy's opinion, it is necessary to state not only the number of the agreements signed with investors but also how beneficial they are. 'To avoid a substitution of big projects with a pile of small ones,' he said and added that he was going to talk about this matter with the PM of Tatarstan Ildar Khalikov.
Who will be responsible for Priority Development Areas?
The Ministry also includes a territory of PDA in Naberezhnye Chelny as a potential growth point of the economy of the republic except the traditional points – Heavy Oil Residues Deep Conversion Factory in TAIF-NK, Ammonia, Kazan Synthetic Rubber Plant and Alabuga SEZ since this year. As the Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan Natalia Tarkaeva noted, Chelny is not just a monotown. It is the largest crisis monotown in the country: one in seven residents of a crisis city of the country lives in Chelny. In Naberezhnye Chelny, Industrial Production Index hardly exceeded 80% last year because of the recession of production in KAMAZ.
As Tarkaeva stressed one more time, Chelny became the first city who obtained the status of Priority Development Area among the monotowns (there are four areas in Russia), started the elaboration of its business plan and can work. She reminded that a Chinese producer Haier has filed an application for obtaining a residency status and told that Kamsky Agroindustrial Complex, meat producer from Tatarstan, joined it. Now several applications more are being prepared in consultation with the Executive Committee and the Ministry of Economy on how to make up a business plan. It is TEMPO, the largest metallurgic factory, and a number of enterprises that are thinking about what enterprise they should present and what documents need to prepare,' Tarkaeva told.
The Deputy Ministry stated that it's necessary to actively distribute the information about PDA in Naberezhnye Chelny throughout the republic to attract investments. 'We have only three years to create the factories that will have privileges according to the Pension Legislation. The Ministry of Economy cannot work on it on its own, it should be a collective labour. First of all, it is an address to the Investment Development Agency, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and representative bodies. All presentations must have the information,' she urged. She asked the deputies for support. 'No one is asking the Ministry of Economy to do it, but our economy includes all sectors. You are the head and should lead us and show who puts a spoke in our wheel. You should organize all processes,' Burganov insinuated. Tarkaeva tried to oppose saying that the topic of creation of PDA referred to the whole republic, it was intersectoral and complex, but the deputies did not support her.
