Earlier this week, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Novgorod region held a round table on the prospects for the development of agrotourism in the region. The venue of the event was the village of Ilmen of the Novgorod district, where managers of the agro-industrial complex and tourism, entrepreneurs and farmers gathered in the country recreation club.
But they didn’t get a chance to rest. But – I managed to work. For this purpose, there, in the picturesque expanses of the Lake district, the participants of the meeting gathered and discussed not only how to get money from the state for a grant, but also what can be done useful for everyone. How to help the hospitality industry.
In the Novgorodskaya Zemlya project, Ignat Potapov, Director of the Agrotourism Consulting and Innovation Center, told 53 News about the subtleties of the Agrotourism grant.
— In general, everything related to the development of rural tourism and agrotourism is a priority now, including in many areas both in Rostourism and in the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia. This topic is relevant because during the pandemic, people rushed to the province. Moreover, he did not just rush to the province to visit tourist places, he also, strictly speaking, prefers to stay there most of the time.
Those who moved to the village sooner or later wonder what to do here, except to live. And then there are great opportunities for conducting your own agribusiness.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Russia offers, in addition to traditional agribusiness — the ministry traditionally has grants that stimulate the development of entrepreneurship in rural areas, the implementation of another direction — the connection of the tourist component to its farm. Agricultural tourism primarily involves commodity producers — those people who are already professionally engaged in agribusiness and create agricultural products. We are talking about at least 70 percent of the proceeds from the sale of agricultural products.
— In our project “Novgorod Land” we have already made the heroes of our publications the head of the collective farm, farmer, farmer. But after all, doing agribusiness is a little different than agrotourism. Tourism and agriculture are actually different things. They can be combined, but still the competencies and even the mindset of a tourist manager and a farmer are different. What to do?
— Let’s assume so: this is business diversification, when the main focus is primarily on the production of agricultural products. And the grant “Agrotourism” is aimed specifically at increasing agricultural products. However, it gives an opportunity to get additional income to the farmer and from the implementation of the tourist destination. I think market relations will regulate this moment.
— And what does the Agrotourism grant give?
— First of all, real money. The grant itself assumes financial support for the project. The project that the farmer submits to the commission consists of grant funds and his own funds. The ratio is set depending on the amount of the grant that he plans to receive. For example, if he wants to receive three million rubles, he will co-finance ten percent of these funds. And if he wants to get the maximum amount — ten million rubles – then he will co-finance 25 percent. His funds are added to the grant amount and the project is obtained.
The project of the Novgorod farm Reznik is 14.2 million rubles. Bondarev’s project — 13.4 million rubles. In these projects, ten million of the amount is a grant, which is provided to both. So, this is real money that comes to the grantee’s account, but he can spend it only on the target areas that he states in his business plan. In the plan of expenses that are in it, the articles for which the grant is planned to be spent are spelled out. And only in these areas and in the amount that is specified, he can spend this money. They are budgetary, and this grant is monitored by the Ministry of Agriculture for five years from the date of approval of the application.
— By chance or not, the Novgorod village of Ilmen, the country club of the same name, was chosen as the venue of the round table, and why?
— No, not by chance. The fact is that not so long ago an agreement was signed between our organization — the Center for Consulting and Innovation “APK“ — and the Center for Culture of Crafts and Tourism Development ”Ilmen”. Viktor Astapenko and I signed a cooperation agreement, because this is exactly the organization that is trying to create an association for the development of rural tourism in the Novgorod region. They have been doing business for many years and attract like-minded people to themselves just in order to give an impetus to the development of this direction in our region.
After talking to each other, realizing what advantages everyone has when interacting, we decided to build the first trial, pilot event, which was held on the basis of Ilmen. As the reviews show, after this event, everyone liked it, and the people did not even want to leave. We wanted to talk more with each other, ask questions, see some other objects, so I think we will do a series of events dedicated to this topic together with them. That, at least, is a good impetus for people who work in this one area — entrepreneurs, peasant farmers, agricultural producers, to be able to exchange experiences, communicate, and maybe adopt the best mechanisms from each other.
— Were there representatives from all over the Novgorod region?
— We gathered all those interested in the region. There were also representatives of municipal administrations, because through them, information about this direction in the region will reach all local residents further. Municipalities are primarily interested in first finding out and seeing how it works, and then attracting others. But besides them, there were also entrepreneurs who are engaged in purely rural tourism, without an “agro” component. And, of course, our farmers, who have traditionally been interested in this area and we have interacted and cooperated with them before.
— Have there been situations when, for example, the head of a farm or a farmer wants to engage in agribusiness, but does not know where to start?
— In fact, there were different people at the meeting. And those who were engaged purely in tourism and did not know how to start an agribusiness. At the beginning of any business, it is always very important if they help you. And there is such assistance from both the Federal Tourism Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia. First of all, a beginner should ask what kind of help and support he can get at the first stage.
I came to talk about the profile grant ”Agrotourism“, but people immediately had questions about the direction of the grant ”Agrostarap”, which offers people to engage in agribusiness. That is, at first we talked about how to start a business and then use the Agrotourism grant. The topic of rural tourism is related and those who are engaged in tourism have an interest in “agro”, and for those who grow products, the topic of tourism is interesting. And they can give each other the information that would be useful to both.
— What is a specific example of a question from one of the participants?
— For example, a person who is engaged in the tourism component asked: “Is it possible to farm on the lands of a personal subsidiary farm (LPH)?”
In this case, we have fixed all the questions that have appeared. The specialists of our center have worked out this issue and provided information that agricultural activities for the purpose of making a profit are carried out on agricultural lands, which means that the land of private farms cannot be used. In addition, there are certain requirements for the production of agricultural products from the Rosselkhoznadzor. This is how the sanitary zone should be. And on the lands of private households in a locality where there are neighbors, it is very difficult to implement.
— Is it possible to solve this?
— You can. We have a program “Novgorod hectare” in our region. It allows you to get a plot of land with an area of several to 200 hectares for farming for free use. That is, a person who is determined to do business can come to the administration of a rural settlement or municipal district and apply for land under this program.
— Are the winners of the competitive selection for 2023 still being determined?
— No, the competition is held this year for the implementation of projects next year. The competition has already passed, the winners have been determined. In total, seven applications were submitted from six municipal districts and districts of the Novgorod region, but four applications were admitted to the competition. These are the applications that went to the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, to Moscow. In general, there were a lot of them from all over Russia, but from the Novgorod region — four. Accordingly, after reviewing all the applications, the federal competition commission determined two winners out of these four applications. This is the peasant farm of Lilia Reznik and LLC “Agrofirma “Green Meadows” Oleg Bondarev.
— What will they offer tourists next year?
— Both farms are active agricultural producers who have been working in the field of agriculture for more than one year. They are animal breeders and have proven themselves to be good producers: Lilia Reznik has dairy farming, cattle, Oleg Bondarev has meat farming. It is very good that both of them have provided for the development of their business in the tourist direction. As a rule, the grant itself and the cost items for which it can be spent are related to the preparation of tourist infrastructure. That is, it is the construction of guest houses, the arrangement of access roads to the farm territory with tourist equipment and the purchase of specialized equipment.
For example, the Reznik farm involves the construction of a guest hut and a kitchen where the products that are grown on the farm will be prepared. In the “Green Meadows” it is the construction of a guest house and also the arrangement of infrastructure. That is, the site that will be in front of this house, and they will also offer, first of all, their products. For example, steaks.
Novgorod farmers have tried out “Agrotourism”
— Will they give tourists the opportunity to “dig” in the garden? After all, agrotourism is not for everyone, but still for those who love the land at least a little.
— Absolutely. First, they will see the farm with their own eyes: how it works, how cows are kept. At a speech at the round table, Lilia Reznik said that children cannot be torn away from calves. Already now, in the pilot mode, they bring groups, show their work and gain experience, which will be very useful in the implementation of the project. When the children’s audience comes there, going to the farm, they get acquainted with the calves and can monitor the care and cleaning all day long. There is no need to force, they do it all voluntarily and with a smile.
Novgorod farmers tried out “Agrotourism”
It’s the same here: people come to the village to try themselves. Someone, maybe even in order to try their hand and open their own business in the future. Someone just to get away from city worries and get a little taste of rural life. Reznik’s project also provides for work with people with disabilities, which is also very important from a rehabilitation, social point of view. Therefore, there is a wide field of activity here. And the flow of tourists will subsequently depend on the variety of services that our farmers will offer to tourists.
— Is the Agrotourism grant designed for the long term?
— Firstly, this topic is new: it started its work in 2021. And, of course, the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia has big plans now. Everything, of course, depends on funding and the budget, but the task of developing this area is very urgent today, and all regions have responded positively to the first year of its implementation. In the first year we had 14 applications. Four applications were selected, but there was still a misunderstanding about who this grant was aimed at. Then mainly entrepreneurs who work in the tourism sector and do not work in agriculture showed up. Therefore, they were not admitted, that is, they did not familiarize themselves well enough with the terms of the grant.
In 2022, all seven applications that came were sent by agricultural producers. And here the understanding has already “fallen into place”. I think this grant will develop. It is relevant, new and will be in demand. The last event only confirms this: the questions that were asked at the meeting indicate a lively interest in the topic.
— What does the Novgorod Region look like when compared with other regions?
— 72 applications were submitted for consideration by the commission from all over Russia. We take the number of subjects in the country and get less than one application from the subject. And we won two. And all four were included in the “list” of 72 applications. That is, we can say that at the level of other subjects of the Russian Federation, the applications of the Novgorod region were considered by the commission and they were prepared at a high level.
— Are you specifically engaged in grant or tracking, including?
— The Consulting Center, an institution that I represent, is engaged in informing and advising agricultural producers regarding the preparation of documents for this grant.
Novgorod farmers have tried out “Agrotourism”
— Do you have to do a lot of consulting?
— A lot, because, as I say, the grant is relatively new and few people are familiar with it. And you have to sit down at the table with the farmer and “from and to” explain and tell what exactly and how to prepare. After all, he only “heard” that there is agrotourism and such a grant, but, as a rule, he does not know the conditions. Moreover, later, when the participants of the competition are already preparing their business plan and bring it, we carefully look at the project, give recommendations, correct some points and talk about what set of documents you need to collect in order for the application to really be prepared at a high level.
Text: Thomas Tommingas, Alina Golova.
Photo: Alexey Pavlutskikh, fragments of presentations of the Agrotourism grant.
A source: https://53news.ru/
