The main result of the social and economic development of the Samara region in 2002 is keeping a positive dynamics of the majority of macro economic parameters.
By the data of the Ministry of economic development and trade of the Russian Federation in the rating of the RF subjects by the level of social and economic development in 2002 the Samara region has kept the 3d place (after Moscow and St.-Petersburg).
The gross regional product increase is estimated as 0,5%.
The main factor of the region economic development in 2002 is increase of the internal demand which is proved by the dynamics of the population real income growth (109,6%), amount of retail turnover and services (106,2%) and investments (105,0%). Birthrate has increased, employment is growing.
The region foreign trade turnover has increased by 35,3%. The export rate of growth almost two times outgrows the import rate of growth. Foreign investments amount has increased more than 17%.
Innovative activities have become more active. The number of innovatively active industrial enterprises has increased 1,5-fold in comparison with 1998, expenditures for scientific research work and developments – 4,7 times, the share of innovative products in the general amount of shipped products has increased from 14% in 1998 up to 25,5%.
The main tasks of the Samara region investment policy in 2002 were directed to creation of favorable conditions for investors: incentives for investment activities of enterprises by means of state support, creation of a favorable investment climate at the region territory and provision of organizational and methodical assistance to investors.
Governmental financial support was provided in the form of investment tax exemptions, grants, regional state guaranties.
In 2002 investment tax loans were provided to three enterprises for the sum of RUB 50,7 million which allows implementing investment projects in modernization and widening production, increase of the range of products.
In 2002 there was an investment agreement concluded between the Samara region Administration and ZAO “GM-AVTOVAZ” for subsidizing resources from the regional budget for a share financing of expenditures for infrastructure development (civil construction, reconstruction and modernization of water, heat and electricity supply, roads and other objects of engineer and public networks), training or retraining of employees.
At present the Samara region is the only region providing such a support to investors.
One of the most effective forms of the state support is state guarantees provided by the region Administration to regional enterprises for commercial bank loans. In 2002 it was recommended to provide regional state guarantees to three enterprises.
The main direction of the investment policy in 2002 in the field of creating a favorable climate was improvement of the existing legislative and normative base of investment activities, in particular, creation of a favorable tax regime for investors.
In 2002 changes were introduced into the Law of the Samara region “On investments in the Samara region”, which widened forms of state support concerning decrease of the profit tax rate from 16 to 12% due to the regional budget for investors implementing investment projects on the territory of the Samara region for the projects worth one billion rubles and more and having a separate accounting of profit, property and resources usage received or spent for the investment project.
The region business reputation is proved at the international level as well.
At present the Samara region is assigned the international rating by “Standard & Poor’s” at the level of “B+” (forecast “stable”) and “Moody’s” – “Ba3” (future “stable”). Only Moscow and St.-Petersburg have higher rating marks among the RF subjects.
The high level of attractiveness of the Samara region economy for investment activities is proved also by internal rating assessments. By the “Expert” magazine assessments in 2001-2002 there was a significant improvement of the investment climate in the Samara region which was reflected in significant decrease of the integral rating of risks from the 38th to the 28th place and increase of the integral rating of the potential by 2 points – from the 8th place in 2001 to the 6th place in 2002. Among large regions the greatest successes in decrease of the investment risk were achieved in four regions of Russia, among which there is the Samara region.
The region Administration pays much attention to the process of integration into the united economic community of the Russian Federation. The basis for the all-sided interaction is conclusion of agreements on social and economic, trade, scientific and technical co-operation of the Samara region Administration with executive authorities of the federation subjects. At present there are 49 agreements under which mutual projects and programs are being developed in the field of industrial, investment, social, ecological policy and other spheres of social and economical life of regions. In 2002 agreements on co-operation were concluded with the Nizhny Novgorod, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions.
In 2002 the amount of investments into fixed capital was RUB 36632 million (without VAT); the growth being 5% in comparison with the year 2001. The growth rate of investments into fixed assets (as per 2002) outperforms the all-Russian parameters – the annual excess is 2.4 points.
In 2002 the region was occupying the third place in terms of investments volume per capita among the Privolzhsky Federal District and the 20th place in the Russian Federation; in terms of total investments amount – the 3rd place in the Privolzhsky Federal District (yielding only to Tatarstan and Bashkortostan) and the 9th place Russian Federation-wide. The portion of the Samara region in the overall investments into fixed assets volume in the RF made up 2,2%.
The biggest specific weight in the by-branch structure of investments into fixed assets is in sectors, which are traditionally leading in the Samara region: mechanical engineering and metalworking (30,9%), fuel industry (10,4%) and transport (12,2%). Relative growth in the food industry was considerable (2,5-fold). The mentioned sectors accounted for over 60% of total investments in 2002. Positive tendency is an increase by 9,9 points of the investments portion into fixed assets in branches where goods are manufactured (under respective decrease in services delivering branches).
Budget investments are described as funds allocated in the format of capital investments; they play a major part in the regional economics, as they are channeled to building and rebuilding of facilities being of small interest for private investors and having mainly a non-profit generating nature.
In the year 2002 the amount of capital investment from the budget made up 12,4% of the total fixed assets investments. The portion of the regional budget in the structure of invested budget funds was 69,7%, local budgets – 12,7%, federal budget – 17,6% (of which funding of federal purpose-specific program accounted for 16%).
From the federal budget over the year 2002 funding of construction project within the framework of purpose-specific programs and paying back of previous years liabilities made up RUB 659,5 million. In comparable prices this amount outstripped by 13% the amount of funds allocated by the federal budget in the year 2001.
Foreign investments. In 2002 the Samara region as before maintained leading positions in the Russian Federation in terms of attracting foreign capital. As for total volume of attracted investments from abroad the region took he 12th place in Russia nd the second place in the Privolzhsky Federal District (PFD) and the “Bolshaya Volga” Association (hereinafter – BVA), by direct foreign investments the region occupies the 6th place Russia-wide and is taking the lead in the PFD and BVA. The amount of direct foreign investments per capita amounted to USD 27,3, which is 1,5-fold bigger than the average Russian level. By this indicator the Samara region is on the 7th place in the Russian Federation, on the 1st – in PFD and BVA.
The year 2002 maintained the trend of growth in the total volume of foreign investments into the Samara region amounting (by the annual outcome) to USD 304,9 million (117,1% as compared to 2001).
Over the year 2002 the regional investment program projects enabled utilization of RUB 1843,4 million (which corresponds to 96,4% of the annual limit), thus giving a rise in the similar indicator of 2001 by 1,6%. At the same time, the scope of works performed was funded to the amount of RUB 1664,1 million (by 87%).
The following branches enumerated are viewed as priorities of the regional investment program of the year 2002: housing construction, education, heal care.
Education. The budget funds were mainly channeled to construction of educational centers and understaffed rural schools. In the year 2002 the following facilities were built and commissioned: 6 educational institutions admitting 2740 students and 25 kids, including four educational centers (in the rayon capitals: Klyavlino for 680 places, in Kinel-Cherkassy for 1200 places, in the village of Krotovka of the Kinel-Cherkassky rayon for 450 places, in Novosemeykino of the Krasnoyarsky rayon for 300 students’ and 25 children’s places); one small-scale school in the village of Blagodatovka of the Bolshechernigovsky rayon for 110 places and a boarding school for weak-eyesight children the city of Togliatti (admitting 180 kids).
Health care. In the year 2002 the heal care sector of the region received RUB 6,14 billion – 1,7-fold more than in 2001. Payments to cover the needs of the non-working population (budgetary funds) made up RUB 2,36 billion. Territorial purpose-specific programs in the heal care sector utilized RUB 151,45 million; allocations for integrated programs under the rubric “Health Care” amounted to RUB 62,47 million. For implementation of federal purpose-specific programs RUB 67.6 million were received. Resources generated from off-budget sources reached the level of RUB 718,4 million (by 0,5% more than in 2001).
In 2002 municipal budget directed RUB 429,2 million to meet the requirements of health care. Totally in towns the portion of municipal budget financing of the health care was 10,2%, in rayons – 8,5%.
Construction of the biggest facility in the health care – the Oblast Oncology Center for 570 in-patients and 600 outpatients per shift in the city of Samara was continued.
Construction of surgery blocks in the towns of Oktiabrsk and Novokuibyshevsk was also in progress. In Zhigulyovsk the 1st complex of the surgery block was put into operation. The rates of construction of children polyclinic with an in-patient department in the town of Chapayevsk and the central rayon hospital in the village of Sergiyevsk (to be commissioned in the 2nd quarter to mark the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the rayon) were good. An outhouse of a hospital in the rayon center Kamyshla and rebuilding of the central rayon hospital in the Krasnoarmeysky rayon were in full swing.
Culture. In the Samara oblast politics in the fields of culture and art is developing in line with the general concept of social-and-economic development of the region. First of all, the software to cover the need of the branch currently is under development. As a major achievement of the year 2002 is viewed adoption and implementation of two regional integrated programs: “Shaping of Cultural Potential of a Sustainable Development of the Samara Oblast” and “Culture of Rural Districts”.
RUB 648 million were allocated for supporting operations of culture and art institutions of the region, including RUB 147 million from the regional budget. The Samara oblast budget provided theatres with RUB 40 million, concert organizations – RUB 20 million, museums – RUB 13 million, libraries – RUB 25 million, School of Culture – RUB 6 million, high schools – RUB 2 million.
Social welfare. The budget funds were mainly channeled to complete the unfinished projects and those facilities which were under construction as part of the federal purpose-driven project “Handicapped Children” in accordance with which a boarding house for disabled children was under construction in the village of Vorotneye (Sergiyevsky rayon). A pilot center for rehabilitation of elderly people was put into operation in the Kirovsky rayon of Samara.
In the year 2002 RUB 1719,4 million were allocated from the federal and regional budgets to cover the needs of social protection of the population (which is by RUB 302,3 million and by 121% more than in 2001). The regional budget delivered RUB 982,9 million, which is by RUB 255 million (by 135%) more than in 2001. The portion of disbursements for social protection in the total volume of the regional budget expenditures in 2002 made up 5,2% (by 0,4% more than the same in 2001).
Transport and subway construction. In the year 2002 the 1st launching complex of the 1st project section of the trolleybus line known under the name “Small Ring” (9,25 km) was put into service in the town of Syzran.
Construction of the Samara subway is carried out via funding from the federal, regional and local budgets. The eighth subway station was commissioned in December 2002 (“Moskovskaya” – 1,3 km).
Housing construction. All sources of funding available in the year 2002 in the region enabled construction of 859,4 thousand sq. m of living floor space (by 14,8% more than in 2001). The rate of putting housing facilities into operation was by 8,3 outperforming the same all-Russian indicator. Samara region occupied the third place among the PFD regions (yielding only to the Republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan) and the 9th place in the Russian Federation, as for per head commissioning of living floor space the Samara region is number 4 among the PFD regions (after the Republics of Tatarstan, Chuvashiya and Bashkortostan) and number 13 in Russia.
Foreign economic activity. Foreign trade plays a major part in the Samara region economy. The export segment in the GRP of the Samara region increased from 8,5% (in 1996) up to 10% (in 2001). Following a drop down in 2001 of the Samara region foreign trade turnover in 2001 more than by 5%, the year 2002 gave a growth tendency in this indicator, which was USD 2820.5 million (by 35,3% more than in the previous year). Export grew by 41,1% (USD 2012,1 million), import – by 22,6% (USD 808,4 million).
Financial resources. The financial assets volume generated in the region through the year 2002 by all sources exceeded the level of 2001 by 14,4%. The portion of resources formed by the economic entities (income, depreciation, borrowed funds, taxes collected from corporations including the unified social tax) decreased by 1,1 point as compared to 2002 (and made up 87%). The overall volume of these assets grew by 12,9%.
The balancing financial result of big and medium-sized enterprises of the region made up RUB 15,9 billion, including in industry – RUB 12,3 billion (77,3% in the aggregate amount of the balance sheet profit).
In the year 2002 from the Samara region territory delivered taxes and other incomes into the Russian Federation budget system to the amount of RUB 64,6 billion (by 15,6% more than in 2001).
The revenues part of the consolidated regional budget in 2002 was executed to 100,1% of the annual scheduled figures and made up RUB 30,5 billion (by 11,8% more than in 2001). In 2002 the per capita figure of budget funds was RUB 9.4 thousand (which is by 12,4% more than last year). The regional budget was executed to 95,5% in 2002. The biggest growth in versus 2001 was registered in education and social policy – by 40,5% and 34,1% respectively.
Living standard. In the category “The Best Russian Region” at the III All-Russian Competition “Russian Organization of High Social Technology” (held in 2002) the Samara region was awarded as the best region, in which special attention is paid to social issues. The regional Governor Konstantin A. Titov received the diploma “For Contribution into Development of Social Sphere”.
As to the integrated living standard indicator – index number of human potential – the Samara region takes the sixth place in the RF. This index in the Samara region is 0.791 (RF-wide in general – 0,771).
As per average monthly cash income and consumer expenditure per capita the Samara region was occupying the 1st place in 2002 among the PFD regions (in Russian correspondingly – 10-16 and 2-5 places); as per average gross payroll per one employed in the economy – 1-3 places (in the RF – 22-29 places).
The total cash income of the population in 2002 made up RUB 161,6 billion (RUB 4130,5 per capita in average), which is higher approximately by 1/3 of this indicator in 2001 (and by 6,3% of the all-Russian level).
Consumer market of goods and services. Positive dynamics of real disposable income of the population in 2002 facilitated stronger purchase requirement in the consumer market of goods and cervices. In 2002 the retail turnover of the region in physical volume grew by 6,2% versus 2001 (and made up RUB 127,6 billion).
In terms of retail turnover counting upon one resident the Samara region takes the 1st place in the PFD and the 2nd – in the RF. In 2002 the Samara region retail turnover portion within the same indicator of the RF was 3,4%, PFD – 20,8%.
