Russian PM calls for more economic self-sufficiency

Russia should decrease its dependence on outside factors while avoiding total self-isolation, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.

"Under current conditions we need to decrease dependence on outer factors and rely more on internal resources," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

Speaking at a meeting with Russian entrepreneurs, Medvedev said the Russian government would allocate financial means to help particular key enterprises survive the ongoing crisis and continue their development.

Meanwhile, he stressed that it would be a mistake to drift toward a total self-isolation of the country, adding that the government would revise the existing anti-crisis plan when circumstances change.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development published a report which attributes the recent "unprecedented" hike of inflation to the government's decision last August to ban the import of a range of foods from Western countries.

According to the report, the largest price hike is seen on the vegetable and fruit market as the domestic production cannot substitute the imports. In January, prices in that sector skyrocketed by 40.7 percent year-on-year. In the same month, food prices in general grew by 20.7 percent year-on-year, the highest growth in 15 years. Endit