Preparations for the sowing campaign and state support to farmers were discussed at the operational headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia
Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev held a regular meeting of the Operational Headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, the participants of which discussed the state of winter crops in the regions, preparations for the sowing campaign, measures to increase the efficiency of state support and other issues.
Speaking about the situation with winter crops, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture noted that severe frosts are observed in Russia this winter, but not all regions have stable snow cover. At the same time, in the country, more than 94% of crops are currently in good and satisfactory condition, which is approximately at the level of average long-term values.
During the meeting, the situation on the ground was reported by representatives of the regions where winter crops have started or will start feeding in the near future. Traditionally, Crimean farmers are the first to start seasonal field work. Sowing of winter crops in the republic was carried out on an area of half a million hectares. Now about 83% of crops are in good and satisfactory condition, 17% are sparse. According to the region, the situation in these areas will be improved by top dressing, which is planned to be carried out in the near future.
In the Rostov region, 2.9 million hectares of winter crops have been sown, this is the largest winter crop volume in our country. More than 98% of crops are in good and satisfactory condition in the region. A similar indicator is in the Volgograd region. And in the Krasnodar Territory, all 100% of crops successfully sprouted on an area of 1.8 million hectares.
One of the topics was bringing state support funds to farmers. Last year, almost 146 billion rubles were sent to the regions, and 99.9% reached the final recipients. This, among other things, was facilitated by changes in the state program of the agro-industrial complex.
At the same time, the regions that did not meet the regulatory deadlines in this area last year have reduced the limits on “compensating” and “stimulating” subsidies by 20% this year. The minister stressed that the common task is to increase the efficiency of the state support system, and the funds should be used rhythmically throughout the year.