AID cooperative agreement no. CCN-0006-A-00-3072-00 with the Agricultural Cooperative Development International to provide support for the food systems restructuring project in the New Independent States

In the major project activity identified to date, Land O"Lakes will continue its efforts to develop the Venev Farmers" Cooperative, which processes dairy and other products in the Tula region. Under an initial subgrant, Land O"Lakes will help the Cooperative to modernize processing equipment, including equipment for potato processing, milking, forage processing, and feed milling. The project will also extend subgrants to other ACDI members to help them develop business partnerships. The subgrants may be used for such activities as developing business plans and product profiles, and for technical troubleshooting or targeted training. Eastern Milk Producers, for example, is pursuing a long-term relationship with several potential partners, including the Russian firm Quality Product International.