Gathering of Tatar village entrepreneurs: exotic chickens, thoroughbred horses and 30 000 candles for Crimea
Kazan received Tatar rural entrepreneurs from all over Russia
While across the country people celebrate the anniversary of the Crimean reunion with Russia, Kazan also pay tribute to the unity of the Russian Tatars. The majority of delegations at the V All-Russian Gathering of Tatar village entrepreneurs boasted of their achievements, but the Crimean Tatars in the first place thanked the Tatarstan leadership for assistance, which, according to the calculations of the inhabitants, reaches the hundreds of millions of rubles. About how Tatarstan helped during the black-out and how to get to Minnikhanov's horse-race – in the report of Realnoe Vremya.
Songs with bayan and national pride
The plenary session of the V All-Russia Gathering of entrepreneurs of Tatar villages was held in Kazan Korston with traditional for Tatars large scale, which is characteristic of the year board of the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as of any forum of local manufacturers. There was an exhibition of folk crafts and the products that Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov with delegation officials were examining for more than a half hour, also there were songs with bayan (a kind of accordion – editor's note) and people wearing tubeteika (is a Central Asian cap worn in Muslim-populated regions of Russia, mainly Tatars – editor's note). The meeting was attended by about 700 people, but, according to the assurances of the organizers, 10 times more people intended to come, although there were enough free seats and not all the audience were entrepreneurs (many of them – Tatarstan officials). So, in addition to a number of key Ministers, there was the head of the Almetyevsk rayon Airat Khairullin, and the mayor of Nizhnekamsk Aidar Metshin, the mayor of Elabuga Gennady Emelyanov and others.
The meeting boiled down to the demonstration of successful cases on the organization of own production in rural areas that were organized by ethnic Tatars in different regions of Russia. Each of them stated about the preservation of family traditions, pride for the nationality and the sense of unity with Tatar people, although they live in another region. Different businesses were demonstrated there: from the typical cultivation and preservation of vegetables to the project called 'Glory to the potatoes' and a collection of unusual breeds of chickens.
'We asked 20 thousand candles but received 30 thousand'
However, amid the rally in support of the Crimean reunion with Russia, the representative of the Bakhchisaray rayon of Crimea, a chairperson of the Rayon Council Refat Derdarov, perhaps, was the most 'thankful'. 'Crimean Peninsula had almost never seen economic and social changes being 23 years in the Ukraine. So, we went back home, and Crimeans are proud of it as never before, Crimean Peninsula is celebrating today,' he said to the journalists after the meeting. However, he did not have a speech at the meeting. As you may remember, Tatarstan after the Crimean reunion with Russia was appointed as a curator of the Bakhchisaray rayon from the Russian regions, a decision was due to the fact that it is the largest concentration of the Crimean Tatars.
Derdarov believes that the Bakhchisaray is very lucky with the curator, because the President has not ignored any requests from the rayon. 'To all of our questions were given answers, especially during the economic and energy blockade, when in Crimea had the generation only for 3 hours of light from 24 hours in a day. We asked 20 thousand candles, but received 30 thousand, generators and the town of power supply,' he said. Due to the support of Bakhchisaray by Tatarstan, the first first-aid obstetric station appeared, an ambulance station. 'We felt for the first time, that it is possible for 3-4 days to come and to build something,' he says.
At the end of the month, 37 Bakhchisaray officials will fly to Tatarstan to learn the specifics of working in the Russian legal field, and the costs are borne by the host side, i.e. Tatarstan. 'It's not so easy to fall asleep in one state and to wake up in another,' says Derdarov. On request of Realnoe Vremya to estimate the total amount of support from the district supervisor, he replied that it was not so easy to calculate, but he said that it is 'a mint'.
Refat Derdarov: 'Crimean Peninsula has almost never seen economic and social changes being 23 years in the Ukraine'. Photo: odintsovo.info
According to his estimates, in 2014, Tatarstan allocated about 100 million rubles on assistance to Bakhchisaray, and in 2015 this amount was even increased. In this case, it is not about remittances, but the delivery of goods and provision of services. 'Those secondary projects we are implementing here, for example, to build a school on 640 places, it costs a lot of money, and you've given us ready-made projects, presented a module first-aid obstetric station, a laboratory,' he said. Besides, Tatneft has drilled water wells so that residents could get water. Republic donated five vehicles to the administration and the bus to the Khan's Palace.
The President himself remembered about Crimea in his speech. 'Let people willing to go to Crimea will be more. We are proud of out Tatars, they are successful, enterprising and do not forget their native language and traditions,' said Minnikhanov. He promised to help the Tatars outside Tatarstan 'in everything that in our forces'.
'We will allow you to the next horse race'
Tatars from other regions also do not complain about the lack of support from Tatarstan, however, they give to understand that they always rely on it. 'Under your leadership, the article 14 of the Constitution of Tatarstan is being implemented, i.e. the Republic helps all Tatars of the world and the country,' the Mufti of Moscow, Central region and Chuvashia Albir hazrat Krganov reminded to Minnikhanov about his already 'international' mission. He reminded that on behalf of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin for assistance to the rural population the special grant operator that will provide grants throughout the Russian Federation will be created. Apparently, he was referring to the government's decision to allocate 3.9 billion rubles for grants to farmers, which was announced on 1 March. It was reported that most funds will be received by the farmers of the Rostov region – 194.4 million rubles, Stavropol Krai – 172.9 million rubles and Chechnya – 123.4 million rubles.
'You have to be ready to pretend to these grants. Based on this, I have a suggestion to conduct the seminar to prepare to gain such grants, in order to understand what programmes to offer, what projects, to teach the villagers to work and cooperate with authorities,' offered Mufti.
The director of PLC Avangard of Abdulinskiy rayon of Orenburg region Ravil Akbarov reminded that young people, before returning to their native village, consider if there are urban conditions. 'Like people do not want to drive Zhiguli so the youth in rural areas needs better equipment,' he said. Talking about his farm, he noted that it has more than 200 head of horses, 10 of whom are thoroughbred, however, for some reason, last year they were not allowed to horse race of the President of Tatarstan.' For some reason such 'complaint' caused laugh of the audience. 'Two people decide this, Marat Gotovich (Akhmetov, the Minister of Agriculture and Foodstuff of Republic Tatarstan – editor's note) and Fatikh Saubanovich (Sibgatullin – a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from Tatarstan – editor's note). 'We will allow you to the next horse race,' promised the head of the Republic.
