During the report on his team’s achievements in 2017, Sergey Zhvachkin, Governor of the Tomsk region, informed the deputies of Legislative Duma that the volume of investments dropped to 95 billion rubles.

‘Of course I am dissatisfied by this situation’ stressed Sergey Zhvachkin. ‘The reasons? First of all, this is a general tendency related to economic turbulence. Yet in terms of investment per capita, the Tomsk region is the third in Siberia. Secondly, the reduction in investments is related to subsoil users’ investment program reduction.’

The governor also noted that the sectors of economy, which are the focus of regional authorities, display an increase in investment activity.

‘We see a 4% growth in capital investment in agriculture, 6 – in power industry, 16 – in science, 20 – in informatization and communications, 37 – in construction, more than one and a half times – in transportation and storage. Investment growth can also be seen in the main sectors of manufacturing: machine engineering grew by 300%, production of rubber and plastic goods – 600%’ noted Sergey Zhvachkin.

The head of the region specified that in total there are over 50 investment projects being implemented in the Tomsk region, worth in total over 350 billion rubles.

Among the completed investment projects that have already created new workplaces and began operations, the governor named the manufacture of shutoff valves at the Tomsk electromechanical plant, which was built from scratch using investments from Gazprom within the frameworks of one of Russia’s first special investment contracts; Modernization at Sibkabel; development of production at SibLesTreyd; modernization and expansion in solid gelatin capsules at Artlife; new workshop that produces knitted pile fabric at Tsarina clothing factory; new line of wines made of honeysuckle, cranberry, blueberry, black currants and red whortleberry by Kakheti.

A range of investment projects was implemented in agriculture. In the Asino area, farmers launched the first stage of a dairy farm; in Pervomaiskoye area – a meat cattle complex; in Shegarsk area – the first stage of a meat-processing complex; in Tomsk area – a new cattle farm; as well as the completed reconstruction of Tomskiy pig complex and Tomskaya poultry plant.

‘Investment projects have been implemented in each municipal entity,’ Sergey Zhvachkin pointed out for the deputies. ‘And in the National investment climate rankings our region is among the first in Siberia. However, I made a point that we should become among the first in Russia.’

‘Nonetheless, the main thing is not the place in the rankings, but sustainable and dynamic development of the Tomsk region, which turns 75 in 2019’ he added. ‘To achieve that we have our main competitive advantages, i.e. huge natural and intellectual resources, the human assets’.