Dec 12 2013
On December 6, the region's agriculture minister, Leonid Gromov took part in the inauguration of the first unit of the robotic animal breeding complex Kaluzhskaya Niva in the Ferzikovo district.
The 1,800-head complex will be the largest of its kind in Russia, with 32 milking robots to be installed. A cowshed for 440 animals, a maternity ward for 160 head and a small milking hall for 10 head have already gone operational. The use of innovative technologies in milking, management and feeding is aimed to boost the effectiveness of milk production and milk cattle reproduction.
Speaking at the ceremony, Gromov stressed the importance of such projects for the region's agriculture. He said that the introduction of cutting-edge technologies and know-how did not only help agricultural effectiveness but also made rural areas flourish.
Note: Kaluzhskaya Niva, set up in February 2006, is part of Russia's major agricultural holding EcoNiva-APK. The enterprise produces milk, cultivates European-selected potatoes and forage and specializes in livestock breeding. Its divisions are situated in Peremyshl, Ferzikovo and Mosalsk districts of the region.