The case of Vitalina Popova, a farmer from Russia’s Tattinsky Ulus (district) who was denied a state subsidy to build a modern 300-ton climate-controlled potato storage facility, has taken a new turn. Although she did not receive the requested 18 million rubles from the Ministry of Agriculture of Yakutia — despite having already invested 2 million rubles of her own funds — several individuals and organizations have stepped forward to help. Public figure Aiyyna Burnasheva arranged for Vitalina to participate for free in the “School of Farmers” project run by Rosselkhozbank, which grants access to a major grant program. Burnasheva also offered her free participation in spring and autumn fairs at the Patriot Youth Center. Additionally, People’s Deputy of Yakutia Edgar Konstantinov donated 1 ton of seed potatoes from his own farm.
Meanwhile, Head of Tattinsky Ulus Ayaal Burtsev defended the district’s position, stating that Vitalina had previously received over 5.5 million rubles in subsidies over the years, as well as a Belarus tractor. He explained that this year, the administration was forced to use subsidy funds to repay debts owed by the Yakutia Ministry of Agriculture to another farming enterprise — promises made for livestock barn renovations that were never fulfilled. Vitalina, however, clarified in her blog that the 5.5 million rubles represented total subsidies received by all farmers in the district over 11 years, not by her alone. She noted that per-hectare payments for potatoes amount to only 35,000 rubles, and that despite the challenges, she continues to support families of participants in the Special Military Operation with her products.
