Farmers promised additional state support for the use of Russian seeds

Agricultural producers who use domestic seeds will receive additional state support, said Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev at a plenary session as part of the All-Russian Field Day agricultural exhibition in Tatarstan.

According to him, they should be in the black in relation to those who import seeds.

"Those who help us develop our selection will receive more from the state," the minister stressed.

Patrushev recalled that from September 1 this year, a government decree that establishes the rules for localizing seed production in Russia comes into force.

“I’ll explain right away. It’s not a fact that everyone will like it, but nevertheless, we have no other choice. We will continue to work with foreign (companies), but we will develop our work on certain, special conditions,” he said. The rules will come into force on September 1, and according to them, the localization of seed production should be, as they say, complete, starting with the transfer of initial technologies to us."

“We don’t need any half-hearted solutions, for example, only the import or reproduction of parental forms. We need the organization of production here, the organization of the entire production cycle <...>. Then we will be in a certain kind of security,” the head of the Ministry of Agriculture said.

According to him, foreign partners do not really want to work according to the new rules. "But we're ready. Where to go? We have a huge market, they don't want to lose it. Who knows, Syngenta (one of the leading seed suppliers in Russia) sent letters to everyone: guys, we're leaving, goodbye. We shook hands , they said that we can manage without you. We will organize the work without you. Listen: we turned everything in the opposite direction, - said Patrushev. - I don’t want to brag, but we have a huge market, this market allows you to earn good money, and just like that they took it and decided that we were leaving, well, that doesn’t happen, after all, let’s follow the rules.”

According to him, the agro-industrial complex will continue to reduce dependence on imported seeds. "Those who are ready to comply with the rules that will be developed in the rapidly growing Russian market will enjoy our support, we will produce our own seeds, we will give support, and I hope that we will solve this problem," the minister said. "And at the same time we will accept measures to restrict imported seeds".

At the same time, Patrushev specified that the restrictions would not be global, they would affect suppliers and manufacturers exclusively from unfriendly countries.