Towards self sufficiency

The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources reported on the results of the last year. Participating in the Collegium were the President Vadim Krasnoselsky, members of the government, deputies of the parliamentary committee on agriculture issues Oleg Leontyev, Oleg Bayev, Sergey Pisarenko, Ivan Nedelkov and Igor Yarych as well as parliamentarian Valery Babchintsky. Entrepreneurs and farmers were invited.

As the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Efimy Koval noted the main task of the department is to conduct a unified state policy on the development of the agro-industrial complex and the rational use of the natural resources of the republic.

According to the minister, the demand for land remains high. More than two hundred agrarian applications are under consideration. The largest number (178 applications) came from land users in the Slobodzeya region. Therefore, the focus is on increasing the efficiency of land use: the state is ready to support land users who are land-efficient, are introducing new technologies and increasing yields.

They spoke at a meeting of the Collegium on the development of animal husbandry. Last year, the number of pigs, sheep and goats grew. The number of cows did not change. Egg production remains a big problem.

Food security of the state depends on the development of plant growing and animal husbandry, President Vadim Krasnoselsky noted. The President spoke to the Collegium members and outlined his vision for the development of agro-industrial complex.

The drew attention of those present to the postulates spelled out in the Republic’s Development Strategy regarding the development of agriculture. This is the achievement of food security (60% of the production of local products), the development of rural areas and tourism. An important role, according to the President, should be played by the State Program for the Development of the AIC for 2019-2026. Today, the state provides support to agricultural producers: the price of irrigation water is fixed, affordable loans are issued for the development of agricultural production, budget subsidies to milk producers are determined, and subsidies for part of the interest rate on bank loans are planned. The draft state program for the development of the agro-industrial complex was adopted by the Supreme Council in the first reading, work on the document continues.