Support of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tatarstan helped farmers from the Kaibitsky region to continue their family business
162 applicants who received state support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan within the framework of the National Project "Small and Medium Enterprises and Support for Individual Entrepreneurial Initiatives" this year work in meat and dairy farming, grow vegetables, raise marketable fish, are engaged in horse breeding and beekeeping.
The latter direction was also chosen by Rail Sattarov from the Kaibitsky region. His project for 120 bee families received support from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tatarstan in amount of 2.9 million rubles.
“I learned about the Agrostartup project through a group of Tatarstan beekeepers in Whatsapp. The head of the region Albert Rakhmatullin said about his desire to participate in the competition. He supported me”, the farmer recalls.
The apiary is located in the forest near the village of Kushmany. A farmer who has been actively involved in beekeeping since 2005 is no stranger to this business. He is the continuer of the ancestral traditions. In the past, his grandfather Burkhan was a well-known beekeeper in the district, then his son Kabir continued his business, then Rail.
“I currently have 56 hives. Under the terms of the grant, by the fall of this year, I will have to increase the number to 60, and to 120 by next year. With the funds received, I plan to build an Omshanik for wintering bees with a capacity of 120 nests, a beekeeper's house with all the necessary equipment and tools, buy a mini-tractor with agricultural units for cultivating the land, a UAZ car for transporting products, and a generator. " - the beekeeper shares his plans.
Now he owns more than 6 hectares of share land and 50 acres of leased land next to the forest. He plans sowing a honey plant on the field.
But a grant is not only an opportunity to receive funds for development, but also a certain responsibility. “When a number of bee families reaches 60, according to the terms of the grant, I will have to hire one person, and when the number reaches 120 - another one. Last year, under the terms of the program, he increased the volume of production to 300 kilograms of honey, this year he is obliged to bring it up to 700 kilograms.
Keeping bees requires a lot of hard work. His wife, son Shamil and daughter-in-law Leysan help him in this. Shamil lives with his family in the suburban village of Zalesny, raising three daughters. They often visit their parents and help with household chores. They’re a big and hardworking family.