TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTION INFRASTRUCTURE OF GRAIN SUBCOMPLEX
The authors have investigated the grain subcomplex in order to identify the trends in the development of production infrastructure, the main part of which is constituted by storage of grain, which acts as an intermediary between buyers and sellers in the system of physical distribution of grain. As a result of research it was established that the total capacity of grain elevators, grain-collecting stations and grain storage warehouses in Russia exceeds the gross yield of grain, but there is a discrepancy in the siting of production facilities and storage capacities for this type of product. In addition, the grain market is monopolized by linear elevators, which is associated with relatively high charges for services being provided. Most agricultural commodity producers prefer to keep grain in their own non-equipped hangars and warehouses, which results in the loss of quality of products. The authors have determined the level of sufficiency of the number of grain elevators in the Voronezh region, which amounted to 78.1% in 2013. However, the main grain storage facilities are located in the Central micro-zone (38.5%) of the region. The authors have identified the main directions for improvement of production infrastructure of the grain subcomplex, including the construction of modern grain storages and elevators, modernization of existing warehouses, installation of high-tech grain drying and grain cleaning equipment and use of advanced technologies of grain storage.