The Department of Agriculture traditionally refers to state support limits
Fishermen of the Autonomous Okrug declare a critical situation in the industry, primarily for numerous small enterprises and peasant farms, the majority of workers in which are representatives of indigenous minorities of the North (INN). Judging by official documents, the already limited amount of state support will dry up to the limit, and financial flows will be concentrated in the hands of just a few enterprises selected by the Department of Agro-Industrial Complex, recognized by officials as systemically important. Managers refuse the vast majority of other applicants for subsidies, citing insufficient limits, although they previously claimed that funding was increasing. It is noteworthy that the regional Accounting Chamber is beginning to ask questions about the companies that were previously included in the “selected” lists. In the meantime, officials will share the financial flows of the fish with a few close LLCs, most of whom are showing losses and are even at risk of bankruptcy. And in this situation, representatives of the indigenous indigenous peoples are left to give up fishing or are forced to become poachers, since even personal meetings with officials do not bring any results.
The vast majority of peasant farms, individual entrepreneurs and tribal communities of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug that applied for a subsidy to finance part of the costs of extracting aquatic biological resources with subsequent sale in 2024 were refused.
This is evidenced by the results of the consideration of documents in the district department of agrarian and industrial complex.
It follows from the document that applications for subsidies were submitted by 14 enterprises, individual entrepreneurs, peasant farms and communities. However, 10 of them were refused. In all cases, the Department of APC referred to subparagraph “g” of paragraph 2.5 of the Procedure for providing subsidies to support fisheries as the reason.
The decree of the government of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, signed by Dmitry Artyukhov, states that subparagraph “g” provides grounds for refusing to provide support due to insufficient limits, and the funds will be transferred as a priority to systemically important and diversified enterprises. Apparently, communities and peasant farms that provide employment to indigenous peoples in remote areas are not considered in this capacity.
It is interesting that earlier, against the backdrop of depressing factors set out in the subprogram “Development of Fisheries” of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, officials of the Department of Agrarian and Industrial Complex told the publication that in 2024 the amount of funding has been increased and they are ready for dialogue with fishermen, although the same subprogram provides figures indicating an annual reduction in financial support.
It is worth noting that subsidies based on the results of consideration of applications will be received by LLC Agrofirma Tolkinskaya (38.7 million rubles), LLC SP Gorkovskoye (more than 14.4 million), SPK Tazovsky (just over 3.6 million) and LLC State Farm Verkhne-Purovsky (more than 5 million). It is interesting that from this list only Tolkinskaya, controlled by the administration of the Krasnoselkupsky district, can be classified as a fairly confident enterprise. At the end of 2023, the agricultural company showed a profit of 16.5 million rubles. The rest of the enterprises, to a greater or lesser extent, can be called problematic.
Thus, the joint venture “Gorkovskoe” (the main founder is Vitaly Aksarin), although it showed a profit in 2023 in the amount of 15.7 million rubles, is currently a defendant in the bankruptcy claim of Yamalkommunenergo JSC, which is being considered in the district arbitration. SEC “Tazovsky” (owned by a number of individuals) last year showed a net loss of 2.1 million, and the state farm “Verkhne-Purovsky” (the majority founder is Nadir Gadzhievalso holding the position of Chairman of the Planning and Budget Commission of the Purovsky District Duma) went into a loss of 42.2 million rubles. Let us add that the largest recipient of subsidies, the Tolkinskoye agricultural firm, in August, had questions from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug prosecutor’s office, which found out that OOOshka owed hundreds of thousands of rubles to schoolchildren hired to work in the summer.
It is also worth noting that auditors have questions regarding enterprises that previously received state support. In September, the Accounts Chamber summed up the results of an audit of the Aksarkovsky Fishing Enterprise of the Priuralsky District, which revealed that its activities “are characterized by losses, a shortage of working capital, a worn-out property complex and weak control over the use of resources.” In addition, irregularities were identified in accounting and pricing procedures for fish products. The information was sent to Dmitry Artyukhov and the director of the Department of Agrarian and Industrial Complex of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Andrey Rubashin.
As the publication’s interlocutors in the industry note, a “strange situation is emerging in the region, because of which the very institution of basic northern fishing is under threat.”
The fishermen themselves are also pessimistic. Thus, a representative of the fishing community Alexey Lobanovwho regularly raises a painful topic, said last month that the department not only deprived his community of support, but also “simply blocked the opportunity to sell caught fish even for pennies.”
A well-known public figure in the area, Eiko Serotetto, who visited communities specializing in fishing in September, also noted in a conversation with the agency that “the situation at that time had not changed at all.” This is confirmed by Pravda UrFO’s interlocutors in the fishing communities of the Priuralsky region.
