Products grown on farms in the Astrakhan region often do not meet the requirements of large retail chains. This was during a live broadcast on Instagram by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the region Ruslan Pashayev.
At the same time, according to Pashayev, the ministry is trying to actively participate in communication between chain stores and local agricultural producers. “I have repeatedly appealed at the request of farmers to X5 [X5 Retail Group], Magnit, and the Alphabet of Taste. There is communication, ”the head of the regional ministry of agriculture assured.
The fact that Astrakhan agricultural producers are unable to find a common language with large retail chains has been known for a long time. Such difficulties are typical not only for the Astrakhan region, but also for most other regions of Russia. According to experts, the products of local manufacturers do not meet the many stringent criteria put forward by retailers to suppliers of products, which is why only large federal manufacturers or suppliers always win.
For example, vegetables from the Astrakhan region, for the most part, are sent to various distribution centers outside the region where they are packaged and labeled, after which the goods fall on the shelves of retail chains with a significant margin.
Astrakhan farmers periodically complain to the leadership of the region that they have to sell their produce even at a loss. So, in winter, agrarians complained that their stores were packed to capacity with local potatoes - no one wanted to buy products. At the end of last year, Governor Igor Babushkin also found out about the problems of farmers, who also complained about intermediaries buying up local products for nothing.
To build effective work with large retailers, agricultural producers need a lot of everything: modern wholesale distribution centers, packaging and labeling equipment, processing organization, logistics and even marketing resources. And, of course, cooperation, which is extremely important for smooth operation.
