194 



2 



advisors. At the deputy minister and director levels there is, unfortunately, a less 



thorough understanding of competitive markets and many times an instinctual 

 advocacy of government planning and control of production, marketing, and 

 processing decisions as w^ell as regulation of retail prices. 



In working with Ministry and other Russian government officials I have been 

 both reactive and proactive in responding to questions, requests, and the major policy 

 issues. A substantial portion of my time is devoted to simply providing information, 

 comment, and modest analysis. Questions arise nearly every day about different 

 aspects of American agriculture, government involvement in agriculture, the basic 

 "mechanisms" of the free market system, and related topics. I try to address these 

 questions immediately with what resources I have available at the U.S. Embassy or in 

 my office. 



I have been asked to prepare materials on several issues to help the Minister 

 and his closest advisors better understand the operation of western policy. These 

 issues have included the dairy marketing program, commodity phce and income 

 support programs, agricultural credit, and agricultural information systems. The 

 Russians have a particular interest in how much the U.S. government spends in 

 support of private farmers. I have also been monitoring the agrarian and land reform 

 situation, adult farmer education, and the agricultural credit situation. 



