Taking account of the significantly increased volume of transportation of grain and its processing by rail transport this year and for the development of the grain market transport system, the parties signed an agreement on cooperation and collaboration.

The priority area of the joint work of the Rusagrotrans CJSC and the National Union of Grain Manufacturers in 2012 will be joint development of recommendations on mechanisms and principles of public support (including subsidiary support) of the grain manufacturers that will not conflict with the WTO requirements.

According to the parties, if Russia is admitted to the WTO, the main directions of development of the grain market infrastructure and state tariff policy optimization should become the measures of direct subsidiary support of grain producers which develop the technology of routing and transfer from cross subsidization (through exclusive rates prohibited by the WTO) to support of producers in part of subsidization of infrastructure development and implementation of the technology for transportation of grand lots of grain cargoes. (As part of the WTO green box related to introduction of technologies and infrastructure development).  

The technology development priorities shall include infrastructure development, increased transportation volumes and reduction in non-productive downtime of grain wagons during transportation of grain and products of the milling industry by rail in Russia and abroad.

The National Union of Grain Manufacturers and the Rusagrotrans are basing on the fact that after Russia is admitted to the WTO, it is necessary to look for new ways and mechanisms to support producers of grain cargoes as a part of the so-called "green box of help”, including on the principles of infrastructure development and by organizing modern and efficient transportation of goods by rail. If Russia is admitted to the WTO, an application for “notification" as a green box measure related to infrastructure development by subsidizing consignor’s costs for implementation of the routing technology should be files as soon as possible.  

To accelerate the achievement of the objectives under this agreement, the Parties undertake to exchange information available to them, to consult each other, and to create working groups.

On behalf of the Rusagrotrans the agreement was signed by the First Deputy General Director Oleg Rogachev, on behalf of the National Union of Grain Manufacturers – its President Pavel Skurikhin.