According to First Deputy Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Vladimir Dyatlov, the area’s industrial production output grew by 11.8% in January-March 2007 compared to the first quarter of 2006. Machine-building industry did particularly well; the production of trucks rose by 71%, that of tractors by 65%. The agricultural output went up by 10%, freight turnover of haulage enterprises increased by 16.7%, the volume of communication services soared by 39.4%.

The region’s profit-yielding companies made 17.2bn RUR in January-February 2007, which exceeds the figures for two months of 2006 by 65.2%. Chelyabinsk Region budget received nearly 16bn RUR in form of taxes and other profits in the first quarter of 2007, which is 53.2% better than in January-march 2006.

The average per capita income within the region reached 8,253 RUR a month in two months of 2007, which exceeds the figures for a year earlier by 26.7%. The average monthly salary went up 27.3%, coming to 10,089 RUR.

Retail trade turnover rose by 20.6%, that of paid services by 20.7%. ‘Chelyabinsk Region is Ural Federal District’s No. 1 in terms of industrial production and retail trade growth,’ Mr. Dyatlov says.