Restrictions on the import of agricultural seeds from unfriendly countries in Russia: extension until 2025

The possibility of introducing restrictions on the import of seeds of nine agricultural crops from unfriendly countries was extended by the Russian regime until the end of 2025. The resolution on this was published on the official legal information portal on December 23, 2023.

The list of agricultural crops whose seed imports will be limited was prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and approved in June 2023. It includes seeds of seed, wheat, rye, barley, corn, soybeans, canola, sunflower and sugar candle.

In December 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture proposed introducing quotas on the import of seeds of certain crops for the period from January 23 to December 31, 2024. Quotas were set for lettuce, malting barley, corn, rapeseed, sunflower and sugar beets. There was a zero quota for wheat, rye and soybeans.

The Ministry of Agriculture explained that this measure is aimed at accelerating import substitution in seed production, an important segment of agriculture. The agency stated that decisions will be made based on the results of the harvest and the formation of the seed fund, as well as the results of the domestic seed market for each individual crop. The volumes of imported seeds will be flexibly regulated and gradually reduced over three years while maintaining domestic production.