Dmitry A. Funk,
Sergey A. Artsemovich
Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the RAS
The Chelkan population of the Turochak district primarily works in commerce, the service industry, and the timber industry. The Turochak district has the third-highest revenue per capita in the Altai Republic.
The timber and wood processing industries are the major economic sectors and the largest employers in the Turochak district and northern Altai. In the Soviet era, the region had no less than five wood processing enterprises, but only two currently remain. In addition to large enterprises, smallholdings and small businesses are also engaged in logging, timber manufacturing, and millwork.
The Turochak district has quite a few deposits of natural resources. The district is actively developing mining for wollastonite and gold (both vein gold and alluvial gold). Alluvial gold is mined at the Maysky field, among other sites. There are also large deposits of high-quality stone coal. Currently, they are not developed , although various technological and feasibility studies have been completed. Coal mining close to Lake Teletskoye (a UNESCO natural heritage site) is challenging due to environmental concerns.
The tourism and recreation infrastructure is also a crucial economic sector. There are, however, important problems with transportation accessibility and the underdeveloped service industry. Road building is currently underway, which gave a powerful economic impetus to many sectors, including tourism.
Economic development projects primarily deal with the relaunching of the timber industry enterprises with a new technological and technical infrastructure. Transitioning to added-value wood processing using non-waste technologies is also a priority. Success in developing the timber industry hinges on building roads for transporting timber from new logging sites. Future development plans may also involve supporting small enterprises working in harvesting pine nuts, forest and meadow herbs, berries, and ferns to be subsequently processed and sold to consumers.
Developing the mining industry is another promising avenue. However, it requires using state-of-the-art advanced technologies that would ensure the efficient extraction of resources (such as gold, silver, and copper, among others), and careful treatment of the environment.
Animal husbandry is the principal area in developing agriculture in the Turochak district. Animal husbandry yields 74.2% of the entire agricultural production with milk production being at the forefront. In 2014, 96.3% of milk was produced at smallholdings, while 3.7% was produced at large farms. Recently, the Turochak district launched a facility for processing milk that they purchase from smallholdings and larger farms. However, today, the facility is working at about 50% of its capacity.
The settlements in the Turochak district have a sports school for children and adolescents, children’s arts and crafts centers, local community centers, kindergartens, comprehensive schools, libraries, and hospitals. There is a children’s summer camp on the bank of the Lebed. Many schoolchildren in the Altai Republic spend summers there. Furthermore, Turochak and Iogach have a facility for manufacturing souvenirs such as mugs, sugar bowls, and other items made of birch bark and Siberian pine wood.