Volga Baikal AGRO NEWS Update on the Russian Seed Industry Development !!!
Russian agriculture is one of the most import-independent industries. Nevertheless, some varieties of seeds are still imported.
Arkady Zlochevsky, President of the Russian Grain Union:
“A large number of seeds are imported to Russia. For many seeds, Russian farmers are very import-dependent. But there is no item of seeds in the list of the stuff under the sanctions. That means that seed supplies are possible even from unfriendly countries, no one closes or restricts them.”
In this agricultural season, the issue of foreign seeds is irrelevant, they say in the regions. Farmers have a stock of necessary seeds, where much of seeds are the domestic origin. For example, in the Omsk region, more than 98% of the area is sown with domestic varieties. In Orenburg, agricultural producers planned to sow imported seeds of hybrids of corn and sunflower but today they are finding a replacement for them among seeds of the domestic origin. Similar decisions are made by agrarians of the Stavropol Territory. “If necessary, Stavropol will be able to fully switch to the use of domestic sunflower and corn seeds already in 2023,” – says Vladimir Sitnikov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Stavropol Government. “We understand that the productivity of the Russian seed material can be lower, but it will be sufficient to ensure the food security of the region.”