Minister: Russia may launch food aid program from 2019

MOSCOW, Nov 29 (PRIME) -- The government may find money in the budget for a food aid program for impoverished Russians starting from 2019, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told reporters on Wednesday.

Manturov said in May that the food aid program will be launched in July–December 2018, while its full-scale implementation will take place in 2019. In October, he said that the program may cost 200–250 billion rubles. But Svetlana Gashkina, head of the Finance Ministry’s budget policy department, said then that Russia’s 2018–2020 has no money for the program.

“Even if we have no money now in the approved 2018–2020 budget, it does not mean that we will not have it definitely. We are sure that (the program) may be implemented from 2019. And the Finance Ministry plans to find money for it during coordination of the final format (of the program) during 2018,” Manturov said.

The ministry has apreliminary understanding on what funds it should use for the program, he said but declined to elaborate.

“But I am sure that it will happen starting from 2019. Speaking of the sources – it will be within the budget draft for the next three years. I can preliminary say that there is an optimal number, and it supposed to reach about 200 billion rubles. If we speak about household members, the program will cover about 20 million people,” he said.

(58.4125 rubles – U.S. $1)

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