Dominants and master plans of the Volga-Ural macroregion presented at the RUSSIA EXPO

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At the plenary session "Space of the Future: The Volga-Ural Macroregion", experts discussed key investment dominants in the industrial and transport-logistics complex, the agro-industrial complex and the development of master plans for the regions within the macroregion: Orenburg, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Ulyanovsk regions and the Republic of Bashkortostan. Participants also included regions from the Southern macroregion: Astrakhan and Volgograd regions.

Currently, Russia has developed a spatial development strategy for the country until 2036, which ensures sustainable and balanced development of all regions, national security and reduces interregional disparities in living standards and quality of life.

"The importance of the constituent entities within the Volga-Ural macroregion is defined by their unique nationwide competencies in various fields: from mineral extraction to the creation of high-tech rocket and space products. There are examples of traditional and new specializations in aircraft manufacturing, automotive production, equipment, and unmanned technologies," said Igor Komarov, the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Volga Federal District, in his welcome address to the participants of the plenary session.

He also highlighted the macroregion's advantages in logistics and tourism, which are attributed to the significant role of the Volga basin and the international transport corridor "North-South", as well as the macroregion's border location.

During the event, the Governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, presented a report on the region's industrial complex. According to him, the region has always been an industrial-agricultural area within Russia's economic structure.

"In the Saratov region, a significant portion of the added value is generated by the basic sectors of the economy — industry, agriculture, transportation, storage and trade. We have a historically developed industrial sector. Its foundation is laid by the resource-mineral base, and today the region is one of the leading industrial regions of the Volga Federal District," emphasized Roman Busargin.

The governor also touched on the topic of investments in the region, which are growing annually.

"The volume of investments in fixed assets in 2023 increased by 78 billion rubles compared to 2022, amounting to 286.5 billion rubles. The growth rate is about 24%, which allowed the region to rank 12th in Russia and second in the Volga Federal District in this indicator. For the second year in a row, we are also the leaders in the Volga Federal District in terms of the growth rate of private investments," he noted.