Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting with representatives of scientific organizations subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, during which he outlined the priority tasks for the development of Russian agricultural science, reports press service of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia.
On June 30, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation signed a decree providing for the transfer of 11 research institutions to the Ministry of Agriculture. According to Dmitry Patrushev, in this way the Ministry of Agriculture becomes a single center for coordinating the production of agricultural products and food, as well as selection with primary seed production. The main goal of the measures taken is to strengthen the food security of our country.
“In the context of sanctions pressure and logistical restrictions, work on import substitution should be significantly accelerated. In this regard, it is strategically important that science gives a real result, expressed in the acreage sown with Russian varieties and hybrids, in the use of domestic breeding material or in the use of medicines in veterinary medicine,” the Minister emphasized.
According to the Doctrine of Food Safety, by 2030, the provision with seeds of domestic selection should be at the level of 75%. To do this, it is necessary to develop effective domestic breeding and seed production technologies, ensure the transition to hybrid seeds for certain types of crops, create new competitive varieties and technologies and quickly bring them to the market. In general, it is necessary to strengthen the interaction between scientific structures and real production, to build a continuous chain: from a business request to a breeder's result.
The meeting also discussed issues of strengthening human resources. According to Dmitry Patrushev, students who decide to engage in science in the future should have clear employment prospects in leading scientific organizations. In order to attract young cadres to science, it is necessary to work together, including using existing mechanisms, such as preferential rural and grants from Rosselkhozbank.