By Vestnik Kavkaza
Today the international investment forum Sochi-2014 has been opened. Heads of 18 diplomatic missions, 43 international corporations and companies, as well as representatives of 74 regions of Russia are participating in it. Traditionally one of the most numerous delegations is Dagestan. This year the rapidly-developing region presented 48 projects for 196 billion rubles investments at the forum. Despite certain problems, according to the head of the republic Ramazan Abdulatipov, in 1.5 years Dagestan has reached the top two places in Russia in terms of pace of economic development.
Ramazan Abdulatipov thinks his priority task is to shift the republic from dependency into a development model. Explaining the poor development of the region in previous years, the head of the republic notes that in the last 15-20 years Dagestan has been taking bottom position in Russia in the level of fiscal capacity: “What is fiscal capacity? It is the level of satisfaction with social benefits. According to the constitution, all citizens living in the country should gain the so-called minimum standards of social services, which cannot be issued without a certain level of fiscal capacity. One of the unsolved problems of our country is equalizing development levels in different regions.”
Abdulatipov is sure that serious problems in key economic spheres – energy, industry, transport, agriculture – which have been accumulating in Dagestan over many years, are being settled at the moment gradually, but successfully.
Speaking about oil production in the republic in Soviet times and today, the head of Dagestan stresses that in the past 2.4 million tons of oil were produced, and today the level is 160 thousand tons. According to him, production becomes unprofitable, as expenditures surpass revenues.
Another profitable sector of Dagestan in Soviet times was fishing, which was completely destroyed. However, today the sector is reviving. For example, the Kikuninsky Canning Factory and the Amsar Company breeding sturgeon presented their projects at the investment forum in Sochi.
As for energy, Abdulatipov recalls that previously the electricity power industry gave 41% of its revenues to Dagestan’s budget, but now only 9%. Moreover, the republic owes 20 billion rubles in the sphere. Despite large gas resources, Dagestan provides only 15% of its gas demand, and it has to import the rest from various sources.
There were unsolved problems in the transport sphere as well. The sea port (its capacity is 14-16 million) transships only 1-1.5 million tons today. The transport hub didn’t work. As for airport, according to the head of the republic, aircraft can’t land there. However, in late September its reconstruction will start.
Speaking about agriculture, Ramazan Abdulatipov pays attention to winegrowing. According to him, in the last years of the Soviet Union Dagestan harvested 380 thousand tons of grapes, in 2012 only 75 thousand tons were harvested, in 2013 – 135 thousand tons. “This year we plan to harvest 150 thousand tons, even though weather conditions are unfavorable. At the same time, in 2012 400 million rubles were allocated for supporting winegrowing, and 900 hectares were planted. In 2013 200 million rubles (half as much as in 2012) were allocated, and 1870 hectares were planted (double growth). It means we try to guarantee that farmers get money,” Abdulatipov says.
