Communal Farms Get New, Foreign Blood

Swedish company Alfa Laval Agri AB, one of the world's largest manufacturers of milk processing equipment, has changed its strategy of work in Russia. The company has changed from completely re-equipping communal farms to modernising them stage-by-stage.

<BR>Swedish company Alfa Laval Agri AB, one of the world's largest manufacturers of milk processing equipment, has changed its strategy of work in Russia. The company has changed from completely re-equipping communal farms to modernising them stage-by-stage.<BR>The company is also opening a regional training centre in Russia, where the staff modernised farms will be retrained.<BR>Alfa Laval Agri is not releasing the level of investment it plans on the new project. The company management explains the specific need for stage-by-stage modernisation by the fact that the majority of communal farms do not have the money for complete reconstruction. "We will begin with the replacement of outdated or worn-out equipment, and end with the integration of entire networks," says Magnus Oskarsson, regional director of the company's northwest division.<BR>The project's second stage will also be implemented soon at Prinevskoye: a mini-factory making yoghourt, smetana, curds, etc.<BR>"At this farm, the entire cycle from production to processing and milk sales will be set up. Together with SwedeAgri, we want to organise a show-farm demonstrating our latest developments," says Oskarsson.