In the South Urals, they plan to create a "corn" center

How to reduce the dependence of farmers on foreign varieties and seeds.

The Chelyabinsk region is ready to create a breeding and seed-growing center for growing seeds of domestic varieties of corn.

According to the Deputy Director of the Department of Breeding and Seed Production of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Darina Taleeva, according to the doctrine of the country's food security, there should be at least 75% of seeds of domestic selection. In order to increase the volume of domestic seeds, for those who use them, from 2024, when paying a compensating subsidy, a multiplying coefficient will be applied.

“In our region, systematic work is underway to strengthen the seed base,” said Alexei Kobylin, Minister of Agriculture of the Chelyabinsk Region. - The regional program of capex, subsidizing R & D, is aimed at this. This year, changes have been made to the regional legislation of the region, according to which not only agricultural enterprises, but also scientific and educational institutions conducting economic activities will receive state support.”

As the minister explained, two research institutes and 16 seed farms are engaged in the selection of agricultural crops in the region, three of which have expanded seed production with state support. These are high-yielding and adapted to the Ural conditions varieties and hybrids of cereals, legumes, oilseeds, fruit and berry crops, perennial grasses, potatoes.

Therefore, seeds of domestic selection in the region provided grain production, which occupies 80% of spring sowing. The share of domestic oilseeds is also growing, the cultivation of which in the region has almost doubled over 5 years.

The share of potato seeds of foreign selection today is 84%, but Russian varieties have already been created for import substitution. But we still need to promote the selection of vegetable seeds, where the dependence on imports is greater, to engage in the technical re-equipment of farms.

The Ministry of Agriculture said that the Chelyabinsk region is ready to produce its own corn seeds. Previously, they were purchased abroad or in the southern regions of Russia, but now SUSU scientists, in cooperation with the country's breeding and seed centers, have developed corn hybrids that can be grown in the conditions of the Southern Urals. In addition, the industrial infrastructure necessary for corn seed production is being created in the region. A project was launched to build a selection and seed-growing center for grain crops with a capacity of 10,000 tons. On the basis of this plant, it is planned to launch the production of corn seeds with a capacity of 2.5 thousand tons.

According to Alexey Panfilov, professor at SUSU, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, if sanctions are imposed on imports to the Russian Federation, the Chelyabinsk region can take over part of the production of corn seeds.