In an interview with our correspondent, Sergei KITAEV, Head of the Food Service at one of the units of the Ural Military District, spoke about the conditions of working with agricultural product suppliers.

- It's no secret that food supply in our country has been all sorts of things, but the threat of famine never hung over the soldiers, and the food services had to solve purely "technical" problems - to deliver food to warehouses, deliver them to units located far from their permanent locations... What are the features of providing military units with food today ?

- The first problem of our time is the procurement of agricultural products. Four years ago, all we had to do was find a farm in the area that grew vegetables of the appropriate quality. No one refused to work with the military, as payment for the products was made immediately after they were received. However, the situation has changed. Let me explain with an example. We have been working with the collective farm "Sverdlovskoye" for a long time, which grows elite varieties of potatoes. For the first time, we received potatoes from the collective farm "Sverdlovskoye"."We were unable to pay for the vegetables in 1997. Last year, before the harvest season began, we promised to pay in August or September. Taking into account our situation - we had to feed our soldiers - and considering that it was not our fault that we were unable to pay for the vegetables, Alexey Kutenkov, the director of the Collective Farm, and Tamara Nikitina, his deputy for commercial affairs, allowed us to receive the vegetables. However, on August 17, well-known events took place in the country's financial market, and in early September, the CSP unilaterally terminated the previously signed agreement, citing our outstanding debt for 1997, which amounted to 450,000 as of September 1, 1998. rubles. Before the contract was terminated, we had received 200 tons of potatoes, 7 tons of cabbage, 16 tons of carrots, and 52 tons of beets, which increased our debt by approximately 750,000 rubles.

"What did you do?"

- We started visiting the region's agricultural enterprises. However, both collective and individual farms provided the same response: "Money in the morning, potatoes in the evening." In other words, they demanded at least 50% prepayment, and in some cases, 100% prepayment. It was only through the personal intervention of Major General Pavel Shcherbakov, the Deputy Commander of the Urals Military District for Logistics, and Colonel Vladimir Pupov, the Head of the District's Food Service, that minimal funds were secured, allowing the procurement of vegetables to continue.

The main condition for further work with us is the liquidation of debts for previous deliveries. It should be noted that the longer we remain in debt, the more we will owe. The penalty is already significantly higher than the amount of the debt for the products themselves. Additionally, we are required to make prepayments for future deliveries.

- Vegetables make up a significant part of a soldier's diet, but a man in uniform doesn't live on potatoes alone. How is the unit's soldiers being provided with other food items?

- It's difficult. Everything is provided on the spot, as they say. We haven't had fresh meat and fish for quite some time now. Instead, we provide canned fish and meat. There's a big problem with dairy products, which are included in both the soldier's ration and the medical ration. We've found a solution. While the military agricultural enterprise "Sosnovskoye" provides us with small quantities of milk, sour cream, and cottage cheese for the medical ration, we use condensed milk instead of whole milk in the soldier's canteens. There are also problems with the supply of chicken eggs. We are replacing them with butter. We are still receiving bread. However, there are constant threats from the bakeries that they will stop supplying us due to our large debts. Unfortunately, we have forgotten about the fruit juices that soldiers are supposed to drink every day. However, we are still providing the troops with a steady supply of cereals, both in terms of quantity and variety. The only conclusion is that this situation is caused by insufficient funding.

- Do the soldiers receive vitamin supplements?

- For preventive purposes, we increase the supply of onions during the off-season. We also import and distribute green onions. Last winter, the compound's greenhouses produced 7.7 tons of onions, 9.7 tons of cucumbers, 1 ton of tomatoes, 1.2 tons of herbs, and 0.6 tons of radishes. However, due to our significant debt to utility companies, we were faced with a choice: to heat the barracks and residential buildings or the greenhouses. Ultimately, we had to turn off the heat supply to the greenhouses.

- And yet, despite the difficulties, the soldiers of the unit are relatively well-fed today. And the officers and warrant officers? With or without rations?

- Cash compensation in exchange for rations has not been paid for a long time. Rations are allowed to be issued only to low-income and large families, based on the availability of food in the warehouse. In practice, the issue of rations is decided by the commanders of military units individually for each soldier. As a result, only 10% of officers and warrant officers receive rations in the unit. There are not enough food products to provide rations for more soldiers.

- The picture is quite gloomy...

- If there are no drastic changes in agricultural procurement, we're heading for a dead end. A soldier can earn enough money to feed themselves during the summer, but then they'll no longer be soldiers and will become agricultural workers in protective uniforms.