English/Nat Russian farmers - angered by proposed subsidy cuts - on Wednesday stepped up their anti-government protests. Thousands of impoverished farmers gathered in front of Moscow's White House to remind the government of just hard their situation is. The planned budget cuts have so enraged opposition politicians that they brought a no-confidence motion on Wednesday before the Russian lower house, the State Duma. Thousands of angry farmers gathered outside the Russian White House in Moscow. On the same day Russian parliamentarians held a vote of no-confidence in the Yeltsin cabinet, they were also keen to vent their fury. There's no doubt that Russian agriculture is in a crisis - villages and farms across the nation face shortages of everything from grain and fuel to tractors. In short, Russia's countryside is slowly dying. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "One more year of the problems that farmers have been bearing and agriculture in Russia will be ruined all together. Russia hasn't made any new farming equipment for already six years, combines (combine harvesters) are not available and so what we have we must use one day and then spend a day fixing it. We have no cars and no parts for them either. There just simply is no money, we aren't even being paid our wages." SUPER CAPTION: Yuri Alexandrof, farmer You don't have to go far from the flowering capital of Moscow to find the decay of Russia's countryside. Even at farms just outside of the city, producers are struggling to get by with under-funded and outdated infrastructure. Statistics show that more than 50 percent of farm machinery is out of service while productivity in the countryside has fallen by 40 percent. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "If the government and the country do not support the farmers than in the towns and across the nation there won't be meat or milk. We farmers will get by somehow but without our products where will the townspeople get their food?" SUPER CAPTION: Andrei Koskin, farmer Privatisation of Russia's farms hasn't gone smoothly - the distinctions between private and public ownership have been muddied by the fast pace of economic reform. And, with a lack of new machinery and techniques, the removal of state subsidies could prove catastrophic for farmers trying to go it alone. Many are determined to stick it out. But their patience is running thin, as it becomes harder and harder to eke out an existence. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "I'll tell you how we live, us farmers, terribly - we aren't receiving our wages and anyway when we do they are just pennies." SUPER CAPTION: Yulia Bezkorovaina, farmer Russia's farmers face an uphill battle - with government subsidies getting smaller and smaller every year. The government says that reform of agriculture is essential to underpin a modern economy - but a thriving private farm sector takes years to cultivate. In the meantime the transition will be hard and protests like these could become a familiar sight on the streets of Moscow. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/608ad4d94dca9601a0329bb2cae65a83 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork