Farid Mukhametshin: Development of small and medium businesses is our high priority

Small and medium entrepreneurship’s development workshop of Tatarstan Economy Ministry took place in Alabuga special economic zone today. Tatarstan State Council Chairman Farid Mukhametshin participated in the meeting, and all heads of municipal governments were invited. Along with them, Tatarstan Minister of Economy Midkhat Shagiakhmetov, Alabuga’s CEO Timur Shagivaleyev and other officials attended the conference.

“We gathered to discuss topical issues of small and medium businesses’ development, particularly while the West creates obstacles for our economy and restricts opportunities. Many big businesses of the republic are sensitive to sanctions; Tatarstan economy’s growth slowed down slightly in the first six month of 2014,” Farid Mukhametshin noted.

Today, there are 140,000 small and medium enterprises in Tatarstan, employing 480,000 people. Considerable slowdown of entrepreneurship’s development was in the first half of 2014.

Tatarstan Deputy Minister of Economy Rustem Sibgatullin shared state measures to support small and medium companies. There are several financial programs, for example, subsidies for leasing equipment.

Another measure is to develop municipal industrial areas, focused on setting up new infrastructural systems. There are 18 such areas in Tatarstan situated in 14 regions; 21 more ones are under construction, and 47 new municipal sites are at the beginning stage.

It should be noted that the workshop was held in the framework of Spassk fare, starting in Elabuga today. Therefore, development of folk arts and crafts was touched upon as well.