Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a regular meeting of the operational headquarters for monitoring the situation in the agro-industrial complex and the food market, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture reports. Its participants discussed measures to ensure stable prices for basic foodstuffs, preparation for spring field work, as well as the implementation of state programs for the integrated development of rural areas and the effective involvement of agricultural land in the circulation and the development of the reclamation complex.
As Dmitry Patrushev emphasized, work is currently underway to stabilize the situation on the food market. In the area of special attention are four socially significant categories - bread, sugar, milk and vegetables. Additional support measures are being developed for manufacturers of these products. In particular, this year it is planned to allocate 2,5 billion rubles in the form of subsidies to bread producers. The head of the Ministry of Agriculture drew the attention of representatives of the regions to the need to begin preparatory work to amend the regulatory legal framework governing the provision of funds to enterprises in the baking industry. The funds will be distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture in the near future.
The Ministry of Agriculture is planning a federal project for the development of vegetable and potato growing, and is also working on other measures together with the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other departments.
According to forecasts, in 2022, spring sowing will begin earlier than the average multi-year dates. According to the minister, it is planned to increase the area under the main agricultural crops, in particular, under cereals, sugar beets, vegetables and potatoes. As for material and technical resources, the provision of farmers with seeds at the moment is more than 95%, which is at the level of last year. Dmitry Patrushev urged to completely close the need for the start of mass sowing. The pace of purchases of fuels and lubricants also correspond to last year.
The situation on the fertilizer market is gradually normalizing. According to the subjects, by the beginning of February, farmers purchased more than 500 thousand tons, which generally corresponds to the level as of the same date in 2021. The accumulated resources, taking into account the remains, are almost 270 thousand tons more than last year. As the minister noted, the cost of the main types of fertilizers is beginning to stabilize, which, among other things, is facilitated by the set of measures adopted by the Government.