In mid-January, the administrations of the Russian regions received letters of recommendation signed by the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov, RBC reports. The letters made recommendations to support local industries, including farms. The Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends allocating sites next to shopping centers and hypermarkets, where kiosks and mobile shops with locally produced goods, including farm goods, will be located.
Although the letters are advisory in nature, regional administrations are required to provide photo reports on the organization of these sites, the publication notes.
Representatives of shopping centers and hypermarkets commented to RBC that they see many questions and difficult places in this initiative. So, not every shopping center can organize such a site, since, for example, kiosks with trade cannot be placed in the parking lot. Kiosks can cover advertising signs and shop windows, create an untidy look for a shopping center, and do not fit into the overall design. Competition between kiosks and shopping malls will be unfair if kiosks have to give preferential prices for renting land or if they receive land free of charge from the municipality.
Representatives also believe that not all farmers will be able to provide enough produce to fill an entire kiosk, and that the possibility of such trade will depend on the season and fluctuating productivity.
However, similar farm support initiatives have previously existed in many regions. For example, in the Krasnodar Territory, such a measure has become fixed as a “weekend fair”. This format appeared in 2016, according to the documents of the regional administration, which the editors of sfera.fm got acquainted with. The region's farmers, according to the Department of the Consumer Sphere of the region, have appreciated its advantages - the ability to sell surplus products without investing in the lease of retail outlets. Only 9% of all trade in the region takes place at fairs and markets.