First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee Sergei Mitin took part in the general meeting of members of the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the official website of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation reports.
The event was dedicated to summing up the scientific and organizational activities of the Department of Agricultural Sciences and the implementation of fundamental and exploratory scientific research.
“The decisive role in ensuring the innovative development of the agricultural sector, reducing the dependence of Russian agriculture on the import of technologies, machinery, equipment, as well as seeds of basic crops, breeding products is given to the Russian Academy of Sciences and 96 research institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education RF," Sergei Mitin said.
The senator stressed that in the current difficult conditions, it is important to work for the result.
“It seems necessary to further improve the innovative activities of Russian scientific organizations, as the basis for the advanced development of the agro-industrial complex, adjust the target indicators for the effectiveness of their activities, and provide due state support for the modernization of the material and technical base of domestic science,” he said.
The parliamentarian informed that the senatorial corps always promptly receives expert opinions and proposals for improving the normative documents of state regulation, draft legislative initiatives.
The senator recalled that in 2021, an important event was the approval of the new law "On seed production", the development of the draft federal law "On animal by-products", the approval of the draft federal law on the use of ionizing radiation treatment of agricultural raw materials and food products.
Work was also continued to improve legislation in the field of production of organic and functional products.
As chairman of the Economic Policy Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, Sergei Mitin drew attention to the well-coordinated work of scientists and parliamentarians to harmonize legislation in the field of rules for the safe industrial use of GMO producers of medicines. “Together we are systematically putting things in order on the food market, preventing falsified and counterfeit products, improving the quality and safety of food products,” he stressed.
The legislator believes that the level of provision of the country with domestic seeds of most agricultural crops still lags behind the approved indicators of the Food Security Doctrine.
The senator also pointed to the decrease in the effectiveness of the activities of scientific institutions and their scientific research.
“In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of scientific products that are most significant for the agro-industrial complex - new varieties and hybrids of crops, bird breeds, animal crosses, aquaculture, and innovative agricultural technologies,” Sergey Mitin noted.