Timur Utsayev, Grozny. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Implementation of the Federal target program “Socio-economic development of the Chechen Republic in 2008-2012” came to an end. The republican authorities note that due to the program educational conditions improved, the number and quality of medical services increased, the unemployment rate decreased… Now the Chechen authorities intend to establish comfortable conditions for improvement of investing attractiveness. The head of the republic Ramzan Kadyrov created a new position of the vice-premier who will control attraction of investments.
One of potential investors is Italy. During the recent visit by the general honored consul of Italy in the South Federal District and the North Caucasus Federal District, Pierpaolo Lodigiani, to Grozny cooperation between business structures of Italy and Chechnya in the spheres of agriculture, energy, and tourism has been discussed. Lodigiani stated that development of business and investing into the North Caucasus became one of priorities of Italian businessmen: “Italy is a major Western country which is taking part in widescaled investment projects in the North Caucasus, including in the energetic sphere. We should develop our relations economically, culturally, and humanly. My goal is to intensify trade relations between Italy and Chechnya. We are present at the North Caucasus market. There are various forms of cooperation – direct investments, export of technologies and equipment, and joint projects. It is important to establish a bridge for finding a common language. Italy invests huge sums into Russia’s energetic market. Italians are shareholders of the Blue and South Streams, produce electricity on the Nevinnomysk Regional Power Station, and so on.”
According to Lodigiani, Italy is a country of minor companies, small business, and in the North Caucasus it is interested in projects on gardening, cattle breeding, food processing, and production of constructing materials: “Today we are launching brick production in a neighboring republic – dozen thousands of bricks per day. We have two thousand hectares of gardens with Italian plants. Italians provide technologies, training, and investments.”
Vestnik Kavkaza was told that Pierpaolo Lodigiani is dealing with investment projects in the North Caucasus for 20 years, attracting Italian investments into agriculture and energy of the SFD and the NCFD, for example in Kabardino-Balkaria, Adygea, the Stavropol Region, and so on. It is planned to implement the project of gardens of “an intensive kind” in Chechnya, using drip irrigation. The technology enables growing fruits on dwarf trees. Compact planting enables getting maximal harvest with using minimal machinery, fertilizers, and pesticides. Such gardens were founded in Kabardino-Balkaria and Adygea.
