Volga Baikal AGRO NEWS Update on the Current Situation in the Russian Agriculture !!!

Andrey Razin, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, explains

Volga Baikal AGRO NEWS Update on the Current Situation in the Russian Agriculture !!!

Andrey Razin, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, explains:

  • Harvesting:

Now the harvesting campaign is in full swing, about 9 million hectares have already been threshed. All the conditions for getting a decent harvest this year have been formed. The farmers were well prepared for the spring field work and carried out sowing in the optimal time. For its part, the Government has made a number of very important decisions that have made it possible to provide producers with affordable fertilizers, equipment, financial and other resources. As for state support, our industry has never been allocated such significant volumes as this year.
Weather conditions are also developing well in general, which is reflected in the increase in yields for many crops, in particular for grain. We also expect good results for sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables, and oilseeds. If the weather does not let us down, we will show growth in many areas of crop production.

  • Availability of fertilizers:

Today, farmers are provided with the necessary volumes of fertilizers: the measures taken to quota exports and curb price growth have allowed to resolve this issue. In order to support manufacturers further, a procurement plan was adopted from June 2022 to May 2023. It is planned to purchase more than 15 million tons of fertilizers, including 7 million tons of ammonium nitrate. This is about 20% more than in the past similar period. And so that there is no shortage and prices for fertilizers remain affordable, the practice of export quotas has been extended.
Therefore, now we have some confidence that fertilizers will be available both for winter sowing and for spring field work next year. This already largely determines the potential for further development of the industry.

  • Imported agricultural machinery and spare parts:

The situation is not easy. So far, agricultural producers are using stocks in the warehouses of dealerships. Deliveries from friendly countries are partially carried out. However, in general, the dealers’ offer is very limited, and the delivery time is increased and in some cases reaches 150 days.
In the current conditions, together with other departments, we are working on operational and long-term measures so as not to slow down the pace of renewal of the park, which has been very good in recent years. In particular, it was decided to reset customs duties on some equipment and components.

  • Own selection. Domestic seed material:

Now the regions are actively preparing for autumn, including buying seed material. Considering that domestic seeds are traditionally used for winter sowing, we do not see any problems here.

We have enough of our own competitive genetic material. Unfortunately, more serious marketing and package solutions from foreign companies have for many years contributed to the growth of the use of seeds of foreign selection. We understand these are our weaknesses and see a certain distance between what many domestic breeders offer and what the market demands.

Nevertheless, I would like to emphasize that in recent years a really huge amount of work has been done to develop this area. This includes the launch of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Agriculture, and support for the construction of breeding and seed centers. Now a number of leading research centers have been transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture. In fact, the Ministry was able to coordinate not only the sphere of agricultural production, but also selection with primary seed production. This will make it possible to bring scientific work closer to the real needs of business, to create and bring competitive varieties, hybrids and technologies to the market faster, and ultimately increase the acreage under Russian selection.

Source: TASS.ru

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