The Ministry of Agriculture of Russia held the final meeting of the Board
On September 2, a final meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia was held. It was dedicated to the results of the department's activities in 2019 and strategic objectives for 2020. The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Viktoria Abramchenko, Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan - Minister of Agriculture and Food of Tatarstan Marat Zyabbarov, representatives of both chambers of the Federal Assembly, heads of subjects and regional authorities of Agro-industrial complex, federal authorities and control and supervisory agencies, unions and associations, scientific and banking communities, as well as public organizations.
The meeting participants were greeted by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Vladimir Mishustin, who noted that following the results of work in 2019, Russian agrarians showed good results. “We hope that we will end the year as well. And not only due to the production volumes of large agricultural holdings, but also due to the work of small businesses. Farmers and individual entrepreneurs who receive grants from the state have increased the volume of agricultural production by more than a third, ”the Prime Minister said. Also, Vladimir Mishustin emphasized that it is important to continue work on the development of rural areas, build roads and houses, open schools, repair clubs and provide Internet - to do everything to make people in the countryside comfortable.
Victoria Abramchenko said that one of the most important tasks of agriculture is to increase exports. “Russian agricultural products are already supplied to 160 countries and are represented in the countries of the Middle East, East and South Asia, Africa, the European Union and, of course, the CIS. Russia managed to overfulfill the plan in terms of grain exports by almost 5%, while exports of meat and dairy products increased by 31%. Our task is to almost double the export of the agro-industrial complex by 2024. This is our key growth point for the coming years. The problem can be solved only by systemic approaches, ”said Victoria Abramchenko. First of all, according to the Deputy Prime Minister, this will become possible with the involvement of unused agricultural land, as well as with the development of infrastructure in the countryside.
Dmitry Patrushev in his report noted the increase in the volume of state support for the agro-industrial complex last year. 318.3 billion rubles were allocated for the state program of the agro-industrial complex, which is 64.2 billion rubles more than a year earlier. The AIC index reached 103.7%. The profit of agricultural enterprises exceeded the level of 2018 by almost 13% and amounted to 353.8 billion rubles. The share of profitable organizations exceeded 84%, which is 1% higher than a year earlier. The systematic growth of wages continued.
In 2019, Russian farmers harvested over 121 million tons of grain, which was the second harvest in post-Soviet history. Among other achievements of plant breeders there are record harvests of oilseeds, sugar beets, vegetables. Domestic animal husbandry has strengthened its position. The production of livestock and poultry increased by 283 thousand tons compared to 2018, milk - by almost 750 thousand tons. There is a positive trend in the processing sector. The production of semi-finished meat products, canned food, cheeses, milk and dry cream, as well as sugar, vegetable oil, confectionery and pasta, and mineral water has grown.
The Russian agro-industrial complex has been strengthening its positions in international markets for several years. In 2019, Russia supplied products worth $ 25.6 billion abroad. At the same time, the Minister stressed that it was possible to exceed the indicators not only for grain and fat and oil products.
The volume of foreign trade for the current year is $25 billion. “In 2020, more than 30 billion rubles have been allocated to support exports. However, we are not limited to financial measures only. We do a lot to create a system for promoting and positioning Russian products abroad. And, of course, the work on opening new markets does not stop even in the current situation. We plan to get access for various types of products to at least 13 more markets in 2020, ”Dmitry Patrushev said.
Speaking about the situation in the industry in 2020, the Minister noted that the coronavirus pandemic has made its own adjustments in all areas, including the agro-industrial complex. “Nevertheless, it is very important that globally our plans are not violated, including strategic ones. The agro-industrial complex continued to work in a normal mode and without interruptions even during the period of the most active spread of the infection, first of all, providing Russians with quality products in the required volume, "the head of the Ministry of Agriculture emphasized.
As Dmitry Patrushev noted, despite the current situation and difficult weather conditions, Russian agrarians carried out spring field work in a regular and timely manner. Currently, the harvesting campaign is in an active phase - over 101 million tons of grain have been threshed. Harvesting rates and yields are well above 2019.
For 7 months of 2020, the production of livestock, poultry and milk increased compared to the same period in 2019. In the food and processing industry there was an increase in all main categories - the food production index was 105.4%.
The state annually allocates a significant amount of funds to support the industry. In 2020, almost 337 billion rubles are allocated for the development of the agro-industrial complex and rural areas.
Separately, the Minister dwelled on work to improve the quality of life in the countryside, which is carried out within the state program "Comprehensive Development of Rural Areas", which started in 2020. 35.9 billion rubles are allocated for its events. At the end of the first year, the effect of the implementation of the state program will affect the territories where 4.9 million people live (13% of the total rural population).
The rural mortgage has already been used by almost 17 thousand people in 80 regions of Russia. The volume of loans issued exceeded 33 billion rubles.
Among the strategic directions of work, the Minister outlined technological modernization, the development of a scientific and educational base, a breeding base, an increase in crop yields, the introduction of agricultural land into circulation, as well as the digital transformation of the agro-industrial complex.
Concluding his speech, Dmitry Patrushev said that in recent years the agro-industrial complex and the fishery complex, due to the support of the state, the development of technologies and, of course, thanks to the hard work of farmers, have shown steady growth. For several years, we managed to change the perception of agriculture as an unprofitable and risky industry, to form an understanding that it is a modern and profitable business.