"Farmer's Island" was opened in Kazan
In Kazan, the grand opening of the first in the republic "Farmer's Island" took place. Residents and guests of the capital of Tatarstan will now be able to purchase products of local farmers in the Pyaterochka retail chain store at the address: Kazan, st. Batyrshina, 20a.
The assortment includes a wide range of traditional bakery and confectionery products, dairy products and cheeses, Halal sausages. Koumiss and the freshest chak-chak with a short shelf life are worthy of special mention.
"Islands" are aimed at supporting the marketing of farm products and organizing their sale directly to the consumer in convenience stores. Unlike fairs, local farm products can be bought here every day, - said Alexander Isaevich, General Director of the SME Corporation. “In Kazan, 18 agricultural producers from different regions of the republic joined the project at once, which means that buyers will have a wide choice.”
The pilot project "Farmer's Island" was launched at the end of 2021 at the initiative of the SME Corporation. In Tatarstan, it is sold jointly with the Pyaterochka federal retail chain with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan.
“Today, farmers are the most dynamic sector of the agro-industrial complex of the republic. They annually increase their share in the production of the most important types of agricultural products and contribute to the creation of new jobs. The opening of such islands in retail chains is a great help both for the farmers and for our citizens. On the one hand, the farmer gets the opportunity to sell his products in large retailers, and for the buyer this is a way to purchase a natural, high-quality product first hand. I hope this experience will be in demand and in the future we will see local farm products on the shelves of large networks,” said Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan - Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan Marat Zyabbarov.
In order to get on the shelves of Farmer's Island, products must be certified, produced in the republic and not sold in federal retail chains.
Stanislav Bogdanov, Vice President, Director for Government Relations at X5 Group, said: “Kazan has joined the Farmer’s Island project and we are pleased that the format is in demand among both consumers and manufacturers, and covers more and more cities. The development of the project contributes to the fact that more and more local farmers get access to an efficient and convenient marketing channel for their products. By the end of 2022, we plan to launch “islands” in 20 regions.”
The operator of the project in Kazan is a cooperative of Mingazova Leyla. The entrepreneur strives to ensure that tasty, high-quality Tatar products are presented on Farmers Island and, therefore, is open to cooperation with new suppliers.
Leyla Mingazova grew up in a village and sincerely observes all the traditions of the Tatar people. Traditionally, Tatar cuisine is dominated by delicious food made from local products. In her own workshop, Leyla Mingazova produces a wide range of semi-finished products, including pies, manti and dumplings, prepared according to family recipes passed down from generation to generation. According to Leila: “Mom used to cook manti and dumplings according to a special recipe. I learned from this experience and my dream has always been to continue to convey the taste of her dishes and to make sure that these dishes are available for every family.
"Farmer's Island" operates in a shop-in-shop format, on its shelves the products of local manufacturers belonging to small and micro enterprises working on the principle of cooperation are presented. To date, 14 Farm Islands have been organized in 11 constituent entities of Russia - in Novosibirsk, Omsk, Ivanovo, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir, Yaroslavl regions, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Crimea and Udmurtia. By the end of this year, the project will cover more than 20 regions of the country. The implementation takes place within the framework of the national project to support SMEs. For those who want to open their island, you can apply on the digital platform MSP.RF.