Russia will not limit the import of seeds to the detriment of the harvest, while there is no unequivocal decision on quotas, but some restrictions are possible, Russian Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev said during a government hour in the State Duma.
“As for the quotas for the import of foreign seeds. So far, there is no unequivocal solution, but nevertheless, if we do not limit foreign selection, we, unfortunately, will not get our own selection, ”he said.
“Naturally, we will not make any decisions on quotas that will be to the detriment of the harvest,” the head of the Ministry of Agriculture added.
Meanwhile, some decisions, if necessary, will have to be implemented. “We all know perfectly well the conditions in which we live. We may face another package of sanctions that limit the supply of seed material, and then the situation will be very difficult,” the minister recalled.
During his speech, Patrushev said that now in the regions the area for laying seed plots has been increased, and the creation of special seed growing zones is being worked out, which will make seed material of better quality. In addition, the introduction of popular Russian seeds into mass production is being stimulated: for this purpose, the ministry has provided for the reimbursement of part of the costs of building breeding and seed centers, and from 2023 the amount of compensation has been increased to 50% from 20%.
At the beginning of November, First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut drew attention to the extremely insufficient supply of domestic seeds: with the Food Safety Doctrine indicator of 75%, last year it was 65%, and this year it has dropped to 60%. In this regard, the ministry, together with the regions, is developing five-year sowing plans for all critical crops: sugar beets, as well as potatoes, sunflowers, soybeans and corn.