---

Published: August 25th, 2016

Starving since Aug. 22 on the border with LNR and DNR (Zverevo and Gukovo - border towns) Rostov miners have been waiting for salaries for a year. As the site of the Rostov branch of the Communist Party states, the notice of the start of the hunger strike in the prosecutor's office filed 103 people. The debt to certain employees of more than 180 thousand rub., and the total amount, according to some estimates, are more than 300 million rubles.

Their employer - the General Director of the group of companies "Kingkoul" meanwhile, are kept under arrest for the non-payment of wages, he faces up to 13 years in prison.

The mines of the Group entered receivership, and the company stopped. Regional officials promises to make payments under the bankruptcy proceedings, but when it is not yet clear. Leaders of the region are looking for a buyer for the "Kingkouls" mines, but to no avail.

At the same time very close to the starving miners Krasnodar farmers were protesting. August 13 countrymen have decided to equip fellow sufferers to the capital so that they "personally met with Putin and asked him for help." Farmers believe that the have suffered from "illegal court decisions based on the basis of corruption." Simply put, it is a land raider attacks. To fight they have decided by means of a rally on tractors from Krasnodar to Moscow.

"We represent more than a thousand shareholders who surrendered the land to the former SEC" October ", which is now called LLC IC" October. "The organization without the knowledge of shareholders and for some strange for us because of extended lease term of 30 years. August 13 thousand shareholders gathered in the local House of culture, the people expressed their indignation and elected members of the initiative group to convey their pain to the President. Krasnodar Territory courts leave much to be desired. We decided to get to the President, because there were Bastrykins reception, not to mention the local officials. Bypassed all but the problem was never solved, "- he said in a media member of the initiative group.

When the "march of the tractor drivers," which had been led by the chosen in the House of Culture initiative group, on August 22 entered the Rostov region, protesters had been greeted politely and placed to rest.

But then, as it seemed to the protesters, they specifically were divided into groups and were isolated from there machines on which they arrived. Despite this, the tractorists, according to them, were set quite complacent and agreed to talk with local officials. They were promised as soon as possible (one day) to solve at least some of their problems or ley them pass, if nothing happens. Farmers agreed and on the buses went back to the Krasnodar region to the reception to the governor of the region Veniamin Kondratyev. Thus, part of the tractorists went back to the south, and some waited in the Rostov region for their negotiators.

The situation had been developing quite peacefully until the next night in the parking lot of the Rostov farmers did not happen the unpleasant incident with the beating of one of the activists of the "Russia carriers union" that have joined the protest of the tractor drivers. Trucker Rustam Malamagamedov allegedly broken jaw. According to the protesters, a young man was beated by some people in uniform.

The regional prosecutor's office on the morning said that the accident investigation will be put on the control, but that did not calm the protesters, tractor drivers have decided not to wait for their comrades and then to march on the capital.

And after some time, the media reported that in the Rostov region 70 farmers who were going to Moscow on tractors were detained.

As the participants in the action sais, the men were detained by recently formed National Guard.

The occasion was the participation in unsanctioned action. So "Marsh the tractor drivers" ended. 

However, some results of the farmers still managed to achieve. Part of the the tractor drivers, which returned to Krasnodar for a meeting with the governor, managed to convince the prosecutor of Krasnodar region to start checking the legality of land allocation.

There arealmostnothing in general in Rostov miners' hunger strike and tractor mileage of Krasnodar farmers, except the time, the place and the fact that the so-called "system party" for the most part, even in the pre-election period, have left people alone with their problems with the police and the National Guard. At the same time, if the situation with the miners is a problem known and has a template solutions by the authorities, the actions of the peasants of the small farms, who say that big business takes away land from them, - the situation fairly new, at least, have not received prior attention of national media.

According to the president of the association "Rosagromash", co-chairman of the Moscow Economic Forum, the leader of "Partia dela" Konstantin Babkin, Russias agenda of "the land issue" is getting back, as it has happened more than once.

Question: How do you assess the situation with the march of Krasnodar tractor drivers and how it was resolved?  

Konstantin Babkin:  I'm not really aware of the specific details of the situation, but as far as we can judge from the press reports, farmers resent the unresolved issue of land and property on it. The situation is serious, and similar is happening all over Russia. The issue of shares and the formation of farms is now in limbo. 

Stoping column of protesters and beating this issue can not be solved and you can not, you can run into a lot of trouble.

Question: Farmers say that "the leases on four giant areas were cunningly renewed for 30 years." Can you explain what it is about?

Konstantin Babkin:  Of course we had faced with this already. The land, which the plant "Rostselmash" used for decades under the test sites were to be withdrawn. This is done very easily. Manipulation of land - known and common practice. It is detrimental to both society and the economy, and this problem should be solved as soon as possible.

Question: But does not the process of enlargening of the Russian farms is going - in fact, the farmers affected by this policy?

Konstantin Babkin:  Yes, for many years a deliberate policy of integration of agricultural enterprises carried out. And the big agricultural holdings are obtaining in the first large-scale loans and grants. In matters of land ownership in large businesses also have special abilities and advantages over small farmers. 

Of course, this causes great damage to agricultural economics. In the program of "Partia dela" and in our association "Rosagromash" we are constantly talking about the fact that access to resources and the right to fair court decisions should have all facilities - regardless of their size. In this case, my sympathy is on the side of the Krasnodar farmers. Necessarily it is necessary to deal with the problems that they bring to the discussion.

Question: Here they say that even got to the reception to Bastrykin, but still things are there. So in fact it is clear that if there is a deliberate process of consolidation of farms, it is serious business, as they say, lobbying their interests, what they expect here? Moreover, as recently Medvedev said, visiting the same Krasnodar region, he is proud of Russian agriculture, and the figures show an increase. 

Konstantin Babkin:  Growth is actually there, but it is growth from a low base. Russia did recently produced 70 million tons of grain per year, then 90 tons, and now we are proud that more than 100 million tons of grain are grown. Although if we see the full potential of our agriculture, look at how much we can grow, then there is 200 million tonnes will not be the limit. We can grow twice not only grains but also at times produce more than anything else, vegetable and animal products.

Growth is not the merit of agricultural holdings. Productivity grows in the farms of medium and small size. We should not forget that over the last 20 years in the agricultural revolution took place, related to the improvement of techniques and technologies, with the introduction of electronics. After all, the whole world has recently doubled its food production, but Russia have not yet done, but it must be done.

This can happen in the case you do not take away land from those who want to work, but rather give an opportunity for all to engage in agricultural work: medium and small including. The last 20 years, while in other countries there is a development, urbanization consciously launched in Russia. The number of rural schools and rural health facilities are reduced. In fact, the village depopulated - people gathered in the city. Sampling of land from small farmers - is also part of the process of urbanization. I think this is a great tragedy - our country can not have "healthy body" without a viable villages and small proprietors.

Question: How serious is the potential discontent, which, as we discovered, is caused by the enlargement of farms?

Konstantin Babkin:  We have a lot of stimuli in society: not always fair elections, wrong tax system, the Central Bank policy, national policy, foreign policy not all people understand. At some point the problem can exceed a critical mass, and in the modern world it is dangerous enough to accumulate them.

And here I do not understand the government's actions. It is in fact itself sometimes generates new stimuli. Installation of a commemorative plaque of Mannerheim in St. Petersburg - the creation of social stimulation out of the blue!

The land issue is, of course, not so easy to solve then how to remove Mannerheim board, but this needs to be addressed. Simply blocking and beating of farmers, refusal to admit them to the meeting with the supreme authority, failure to understand their problems will only contribute to heighten the situation.

The pressure is only increasing, why do so it could blast? Yes, let it be later, but in fact the latter, the stronger.

Question: Why does with these farmers, whose problems are basically clear, there is no so-called "system" of political parties, but there is a National Guard?  

Konstantin Babkin:  We have a situation with the electoral system - also one of the most important stimuli. The fact that participation in the elections allowed only to parties that have passed special selection, controlled from above, gives rise to problems. But, in general, there are support for the farmers among parties.

For example, the sympathy of our party - on the side of farmers. But we are not allowed for election [State Duma], and we can not bear these problems on the official level. Those who are admitted to the podium, apparently, it is said to them that they should not focus on it. For some reason the power goes through the aggravation of problems, rather than extinguish them.

 

Question: Does the land question arise before Russia again?

Konstantin Babkin:  You know, the land question - is very serious, but objectively it has not yet reached a critical point. On the one hand, the problem is acute in the Kuban. In other regions, the nature of land relations is softer, because we have largely abandoned the land, it is no use to anybody, people can not make money on earth. If you drive along the Smolensk region, Tver region, Kostroma - see the huge derelict land. Accordingly, the question of land ownership is not of a severe nature, if it is not necessary, and to whom it belongs on the securities, are not so important. Rather, it is more important to understand why the land is not. In agriculture, we have accumulated a lot of problems that must be addressed thoughtfully and with a special approach to the region.   

Question: You say that your party can not bring the questions that raised the Kuban farmers, on the official level, but can you do it through the Chamber of Commerce, in which you are heading the Council on the competitiveness of the economy? September 27th will just be another meeting, this time dedicated to the competitiveness of the agro-industrial complex. What are some specific ways to solve the problem you suggest?

Konstantin Babkin:  It is difficult to offer simple solution here. It also needs to be comprehensive. There are important and the quality of the courts, and equal access to the state support for large and small enterprises, and issues of a technical device. And confidence in the courts and public bodies - a thing which can not indulge. It is necessary to ensure that matters are dealt with not in the form of marches and conflicts, but in the form of a civilized discussion. And yes, we will discuss the problem raised by Kuban farmers.

Source: Nakanune.ru