World meat industry news

Anti-Russian sanctions will continue to affect the work of the Russian agro-industrial complex (AIC) of Russia, but to a lesser extent than in the current year, Nadezhda Shkolkina (United Russia), First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, told reporters.

The current year was, according to her, “really extraordinary for farmers”: on the one hand, record harvests of grain and oilseeds, on the other hand, low prices for products against the backdrop of seriously increased production costs.

“Anti-Russian sanctions to a lesser extent, but still will have an impact on the work of the agro-industrial complex in 2023. We are still dependent on imports for some items (seeds, equipment, spare parts, plant protection products, veterinary drugs, vaccines, feed additives). It is clear that our manufacturers are now finding new suppliers, but at the same time... the delivery time for goods, equipment and components has increased significantly. The decrease in profitability of grain producers may also affect the further progressive development of the agro-industrial complex,” the deputy said.

“Insufficient power supply, lack of specialized equipment, especially in seed production, lack of capacity to store the future crop, taking into account the carry-over grain residues by the beginning of harvesting in 2023, administrative barriers and, of course, unpredictable weather conditions may also affect the work of the agro-industrial complex in 2023,” — also admits Shkolkin.

She also drew attention to the fact that at present the agro-industrial complex still lags behind other areas of the economy in terms of digital transformation. Among the reasons for this, the parliamentarian named the slow updating of legislation (for example, on the use of drones), the weak level of telecommunications, including stable Internet in rural areas, the lack of training grounds and pilot production facilities for testing new technologies, the lack of state support measures for the transition to digital technologies, shortage of qualified personnel.

“In Russia, there is no single digital resource containing information about lands, including agricultural, real estate, forest, water and other objects. And it is really vital for us to create a Unified electronic cartographic basis in the country, and do it as soon as possible, ”she added. And for many agricultural producers, according to her, it would be extremely convenient to receive state support measures on the “one-stop shop” principle, and not go to ministries and banks, each time confirming their status and financial solvency.