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The Government of the Russian Federation has been instructed to work out and approve a long-term strategy for sustainable rural development in Russia with the aim of forming a single state policy regarding the development of agricultural areas and raising the living standards of the rural population.

The strategy should be directed in particular at improving the demographics and maintaining employment in rural areas, at developing the social and engineering infrastructure, cultivating ethnic culture, supporting agricultural cooperatives, developing agricultural and ecological tourism, and personnel training in rural areas.

In addition, the Government received instructions to make adjustments based on this strategy to the Federal Targeted Programme For the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas in 2014–2017 and through to 2020 and other state programmes pertaining to the implementation of this strategy.

The instructions given to the Government and the executive authorities in the Russian regions involve creating new modern rural residential areas with developed production and engineering infrastructure; encouraging young people to work in rural areas; organising transportation and developing a retail network for the sale of agricultural produce.

The Central Bank, together with Rosselkhozbank and other Russian credit institutions concerned, was given recommendations to develop in collaboration with the Government proposals regarding the introduction of new banking products to support small and medium-sized businesses, to assist in the implementation of social projects in rural areas and set up help centres in rural communities that would offer banking consultations to the residents.

Corresponding recommendations were also given to executive authorities in the Russian regions.