“A new entity may come to the place of the national project for the development of SMEs”

Over the past year, small and medium-sized companies have been restructuring their business processes amid problems with settlements, logistics, high loan rates, mobilization and relocation of personnel. In an interview with Vedomosti, Deputy Economic Development Minister Tatyana Ilyushnikova explained why mass business closures and a sharp drop in sector indicators were avoided, and how the state plans to support small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) after the completion of the national project.

– There were objective reasons for concern, but nevertheless, there were no fundamental changes either in the number of SMEs or in the number of people employed in the sector. If we operate with statistics, then in 2022 we will not have a sharp decrease in the number of SMEs. The sector turned out to be quite stable.

Both during the pandemic and at the time of the sanctions, we tried to adjust all the existing tools at once, taking into account the specifics of the situation. While we launched employment support programs during COVID-19, under the sanctions we reformatted measures from the SME national project. For example, the funds that were allocated for the participation of entrepreneurs in international fairs and exhibitions were directed to a logistics subsidy. Then they adjusted the basic credit programs, umbrella loan guarantees, etc. At some point, the business needed to invest in restructuring logistics, production chains, and purchasing equipment and raw materials. Therefore, we launched a joint program with the Central Bank and the SME Corporation, under which loans are available at 2.5% and 4% for investment purposes for different business categories. In 2022, under this program, 566 loan agreements were concluded for a total of RUB 55 billion, of which RUB 38.3 billion were issued. At the same time, 58% fell on the manufacturing sector, 32% – on enterprises in the field of transportation and storage and 10% – on the hotel business. In 2023, the limit for issuing loans under this program was doubled compared to 2022 and was set at RUB 100 billion.