POST RELEASE

International specialized exhibition
IMPORT SUBSTITUTION

September 15-17, 2015
Crocus Expo IEC, Pavilion 2, halls 5 and 8

The first results of the All-Russian Import substitution program implementation were summed up within the frames of the International specialized exhibition Import Substitution which was successfully held in September 2015 in Crocus Expo IEC. The program has been developed on the basis of tasks set forth by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in the Message to the Federal Assembly of December 4, 2014.

Import Substitution is an International specialized exhibition aiming to display domestic competitive goods and services. The event was supported by the Government of the Russian Federation and federal executive authorities.

More than 300 companies from 35 regions of Russia demonstrated enterprises’ possibilities in creation of domestic capacities. The exposition of the exhibition presented practically all branches of economy – mechanical engineering, transport sector, medicine, construction, industry, agrarian sector, consumer goods, computer related developments, hi-tech solutions in oil and gas, fuel and energy complexes and other branches. Projects in the field of import substitution were displayed at stands of the Lipetsk, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Tula, Kaluga, Volgograd regions, Stavropol Krai, the Republics of Chuvashia and Ingushetia and other regions of the Russian Federation. The growing demand for domestic products from not only Russian but also foreign producers served as incentive to participation of foreign partners, in particular representatives of Slovenia, Tunisia, Belarus and other countries.

Participants of the opening ceremony of Import Substitution exhibition:

• Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia;
• Nikolay Arefyev, Vice-chairman of the State Duma Committee on economic policy;
• Sergey Morozov, Governor of the Ulyanovsk region;
• Vladimir Vladimirov, Governor of Stavropol Krai;
• Archpriest Lev Semenov, representative of the Russian Orthodox Church;
• Aras Agalarov, President of Crocus Group.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Prime Minister, Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, were one of the first visitors to make a tour at the exposition of the exhibition and to estimate possibilities of the Russian economy on production of competitive goods and services.

The exposition became a platform of review of opportunities and achievements in the field of competitive import substitution of goods and services both due to expansion and adjustment of own domestic production and to reorientation to new foreign suppliers and partners, the latest technologies, perspective developments and investment projects characterizing the scientific, technical and production capacity of Russia.

The project not only created favorable conditions for expansion of business cooperation in promotion of advanced equipment, goods and services in the market of Russia but also contributed to the attraction of investments.

Open Reception Room was opened at the stand of the Ministry for Industry and Trade of Russia at the International specialized exhibition Import. The Ministry’s specialists held consultations on the most urgent issues. The citizens had an opportunity to visit the reception room both at the exhibition real-time and online. The Ministry for Industry and Trade of Russia coordinating the process of import substitution expect budget allocation of about 600 billions of roubles for all programs implementation. The ministry also expects extra about 2 trillions of roubles to be invested by businessmen.

Import substitution is a trade and economic policy based on the premise that a country should attempt to reduce its foreign dependency through the local production of industrialized products. The major advantages include increases in domestic employment (reducing dependence on labour non-intensive industries such as raw resource extraction and export); resilience in the face of global economic shocks (such as recessions and depressions); less long-distance transportation of goods (and concomitant fuel consumption and greenhouse gas and other emissions).

The organizers provided direct mailing of invitations to the exhibition and events of the congress program to certain experts, ministries and departments, trade missions, representative offices of foreign companies, research institutes, state corporations, leading enterprises of branches, trade organizations and educational institutions. The exhibition was provided for wide press coverage in national and foreign political editions, in specialized and scientific media. Accredited representatives of mass media had an opportunity to attend all business events and the exposition.

The exhibition and the congress program promoted the solution of the following tasks: filling of the national and foreign markets with qualitative and competitive goods and services, increase of coordination level of activity of bodies providing functioning and development of competitive goods and services production, improvement of infrastructure and improvement of existing capacities usage for production of import substituting products, modernization of technologies in production of import substituting products, formation and development of international lines for transportation of necessary components to the territory of Russia, scientific provision for the development of import substituting products manufacture, increase of investment appeal of competitive products and services production in Russia and ensuring environment protection at import substituting products manufacture.

Russian regions displayed a wide range of products, beginning from food and up to large industrial projects. GAZ Group of Companies presented to the audience Gazel-Next with the largest volume of the cargo body and they assured the head of the government that even German car makers don't produce competitors to this commercial car. At first Dmitry Medvedev examined a resuscitation car which was made completely from domestic equipment. Then he looked at the model manufactured for mobile trade. The cost of such a version begins from one million rubles, and all-round price depends on the client's wishes on technical specification.

Depo Computers engineering company showed their hi-tech domestic computer development – DEPO tablet in protected version for operation in any weather and working conditions.

The southern regions of the country displayed of course their achievements in the agrarian complex. Stavropol Krai displayed their apples. But their exposition was not limited by agricultural achievements. For a start Vladimir Vladimirov, Governor, decided to tell about plans related to their market share in the segment of cosmetic aerosols. He said that before the sanctions they had owned one percent of the market. Today they had 2,2 percent, and they count on 4 percent.

A fair of locally produced farm products, Mobile Fair, was accommodated in one of the halls within the frames of the International specialized exhibition Import Substitution. The Fair featured fresh fish, meat, poultry, vegetables, fruits, dairy products and many other products. Large domestic producers of food and representatives of small forms of trade (catering establishment, household services, small bakeries), and also companies which are engaged in farmer products distribution gathered in Pavilion 2. Fresh farmer production mainly from Moscow area directly from producers and at the prices of producers were offered to the visitors. Anyone had an opportunity to taste the products before purchase. The mobile trade format was convenient for sale of fresh food from producers of any scale – from small farms to agricultural holdings. Therefore the development of such format of trade is one of the most important directions of comfortable environment formation both for the population and for subjects of entrepreneurship. The organizer of the Mobile Fair was the Ministry for Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation in cooperation with the Coalition of Small Trade and Kiosks Owners.

Small business of course made its contribution to the import substitution program. Our Future, Fund of Regional Social Programs, with their domestic projects: the innovative artificial limbs and prosthetics created by 3D printer from the Motorika company, the hi-tech means of disabled people rehabilitation released by Observer and Katarzhina enterprises, and also modern sports complexes for outdoor trainings (workout) from the company KENGURU.PRO were among representatives of the social participating enterprises.

The congress program of the exhibition was targeted to become a strategic tribune of the Government of the Russian Federation in the solution of one of the most actual economic and political challenges of modern Russia.

Plenary sessions and 8 round tables where more than 170 reports on a wide range of topics related to the development of mechanisms of economy in various branches were held within the frames of the congress program. Representatives of Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Ministry for Communications of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Construction, Architecture and Housing of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, Academy of Sciences, federal and regional authorities, representatives of large commercial structures became participants of the congress program.

Results of the Import Substitution exhibition revealed that high-quality nationally manufactured products are capable to replace import analogs, and the project can become a reference point of Russian production development in all spheres of economic activity. The event received an extended coverage in mass media and high interest was expressed by large business structures.

The exhibition allowed the companies to discover products of similar branch, to establish new business contacts promoting further distribution and sale of products. The majority of exhibitors left positive feedback about the level of organization and noted efficiency of their participation. Moreover, many of them expressed their intention to exhibit at the next edition of Import Substitution exhibition in September of the next year.

Press Service Crocus Expo IEC