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The winners of the All-Russian Award in International Cooperation and Export "Exporter of the Year-2024" have been announced. Among the best is the company "Bakery Production" (export brand of JSC "Lyubimy Krai" from the Lomonosov District), which has been nominated for the second year in a row. The company took first place in the additional nomination "Best Exporter in E-commerce" and third place in the nomination "Exporter of the Year in Ready Food Products." Well-deserved recognition! After all, "Lyubimy Krai" - Produces 2000 tons of finished products per month, which translates to over 100 million pieces. - The factory is the winner of the regional stage of the "Exporter of the Year" competition. - Supplies its products to 17 countries worldwide, actively develops the Chinese market, and collaborates with Belarusian factories. - Following almost every event organized by the Export Support Center of the Leningrad Region, the company signs several new export contracts. "Lyubimy Krai" is one of the most active exporters in the region's food industry.

A roadmap has been developed for converting forest fund lands into recreational lands to boost tourism and address the accommodation shortage. This was announced by the head of the investment project support department of AERLO, Stepan Kamenetsky, during the Forum of Tourist Territories. The event is taking place in Mineralnye Vody from October 3 to 6. "In the Leningrad Region, we have developed Russia's first regional investment strategy for developing tourism infrastructure. Its goal is to attract investments for the creation of collective accommodations. The strategy's outcomes include 10 growth points for tourism infrastructure development and 6 investment lots, including those on forest fund lands. As part of piloting this new mechanism, we invite all interested investors to embark on this journey with us," noted Stepan Kamenetsky. The investment lots are plots with preliminary concepts that best balance supply and demand. Currently, these include the shores of the Gulf of Finland, Cape Bobovy, and a park-hotel on the Vuoksa River. During the presentation, one of Russia's major hotel developers expressed interest in the proposed lots.

The head of the economic sector of the Leningrad Region government, Dmitry Yalov, will participate in the Strategic Session "Regional Export - New Solutions," where he will discuss the development of export activities in our region. Participants will discuss: - Prospects for the development of foreign economic activities - Changes in the Regional Export Standard and its impact on target indicators - New mechanisms for supporting regional export development programs The full program of the forum can be found at the link. The large-scale event is organized by JSC "Russian Export Center" as part of the national project "International Cooperation and Export."

Now businesses in the Leningrad region have the opportunity to give orders to bachelor's and master's students for free oral and written translation. The university is a forge of highly qualified personnel. It offers education in 62 languages of Asia and Africa. Among the popular fields are Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, and Japanese languages. Anastasia Mikhaylichenko, the director of AERLO, is also a graduate of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at St. Petersburg State University. "Students can help businesses with translating letters, agreements, and presentations, participate in negotiations and meetings, and later have a chance to gain employment," said Anastasia Mikhaylichenko. She also emphasized that the agency's team is strengthening cooperation with foreign partners in terms of attracting new investments to the region. Over five years, the AERLO team has participated in more than 100 international events. Representatives of the agency have held talks with delegations from the People's Republic of China, EU countries, the Republic of Turkey, and Belarus. During the ceremonial event, an agreement on cooperation between St. Petersburg State University and AERLO was signed.

In June, the methodological program "Infrastructure Development Leaders-2024" was launched. The program aims to train management teams in the skills required for creating and developing industrial technoparks and industrial parks. Participants in the program acquire skills in developing work regulations and resident services, planning the prospective development of the park, expanding the services of management companies for residents, and finding ways to enhance the competitiveness of the parks. One of the stages of the program is the preliminary defense of the technopark project by the management team. As part of the XIII All-Russian Forum of Development and Investment Territories "InPark-2024," held in Novosibirsk, the management team of the Leningrad Region successfully presented the high-tech technopark and is now preparing for the official defense, which will take place at the international forum-exhibition INRUSSIA on October 17-18 in Mineralnye Vody.

The LNG forum brought together government and business representatives to address technological, logistical, and economic issues related to the industry's development. Stepan Kamenetsky, Head of the Investment Projects Support Department of the Leningrad Region Development Agency, informed the event participants about the existing support measures and industrial potential of the Leningrad Region. Following his presentation, several industrial companies sought support and assistance regarding the completion of LNG sector projects and the search for new sites. During a dialogue with Pavel Sarafannikov, President of the LNG Association, they were able to discuss the development of a concept for implementing and utilizing liquefied natural gas at industrial enterprises. Additionally, Stepan Kamenetsky met with representatives of the academic community to discuss attracting young professionals to work in the industrial sector.

As part of the "REGION+" program, the Entrepreneurship Support Fund of the Leningrad Region provided a loan at a preferential rate of 5% per annum to the company "Purpur." The loan amount exceeded 14.6 million rubles. The funds are allocated to finance the project "Purchase of MR7800 Packaging Equipment." To recap, the company "Purpur" manufactures confectionery products. Their product range includes: - Praline-type chocolate candies - Truffles - Chocolate bars - Gift sets - Chocolate-covered fruits - Marzipans The products are made from natural chocolate and fillings and involve the complete production cycle, from recipe development to packaging design.

A delegation from the Leningrad Region visited the Republic of Belarus. One of the main goals of the visit was to showcase the infrastructure of industrial parks and the plans for the development of technoparks in the Leningrad Region, as well as to study the best similar facilities in Belarus. "Industrial parks in the Leningrad Region have great potential for development – currently, 12 are active, with another 10 planned to be established by 2030. It was particularly insightful to observe the functioning technoparks in the allied republic, as we are planning to establish the first two technoparks in the Priozersky and Vsevolozhsky districts of the Leningrad Region. We are working on the entry protocols for residents and also need to consider how to improve incentives and support measures for the development of industrial enterprises and high-tech production," commented Yegor Mishcheryakov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Economic Development and Investment Activity of the Leningrad Region, following the visit to the Republic of Belarus. It should be noted that the existing and planned industrial parks cover an area of over 1,737 hectares, hosting 165 residents (with an average occupancy rate of 60%), and more than 7,500 new jobs have been created. The volume of private investments actually attracted, including investments from residents, amounts to approximately 60 billion rubles. Major private industrial parks include Greenstate, Levoberezhny, and M10.

The discussion was initiated by Governor Alexander Drozdenko, who highlighted workforce issues as a priority for the economy. The meeting was continued by Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Leningrad Region, Dmitry Yalov. He delivered a report on the strategy for the socio-economic development of the region until 2030. What needs to be done in the future: - Reduce the natural population decline in the Leningrad Region - Technologically complicate the regional economy - Establish sustainable rates of agricultural production in terms of food security - Develop the transport complex comprehensively - Attract investments in the tourism industry - Improve the quality of the urban environment We will report on other presentations at the investment council meeting later. Stay tuned to our news feed.

The agreement with Ekorusmetall LLC entails establishing a new battery production facility in the Slantsy district of the Leningrad Region. The project will receive investments exceeding 1.4 billion rubles from both internal and external funding sources, enabling an increase in production to 2 million units per year. The project, expected to be completed in 2025, will create 240 jobs. Ekorusmetall is the largest and one of the most modern factories in the region and Russia dedicated to the production and recycling of lead-acid batteries. "The company is well-known to us, operating in an important location—Slantsy. The construction of the new plant will be environmentally friendly. The company consistently implements this idea. The new battery production will incorporate up to 80% of recycled lead—this is the ecological approach we need," the governor noted.