The event, organized with the support of the regional Ministry of Agriculture, was initiated by the supervisory authority and aimed at discussing measures taken to combat weeds, both those of quarantine significance and those not possessing such significance.
During a previous meeting with Governor Roman Busargin, the head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) placed special emphasis on this issue.
Alexey Chastov reported to the participants on the phytosanitary situation in the Saratov region, which is one of the leading grain-producing regions in Russia. This region is among the countries that export grain to 30 countries worldwide. The export of agricultural products from the Saratov region exceeded 1 million tons in 2024.
For successful promotion of domestic products in international markets, it is necessary to ensure their quality and safety. In this regard, Rosselkhoznadzor carries out phytosanitary monitoring on its territory, controls the issuance of grain conformity declarations, and conducts cargo inspections at the border.
Last year, inspectors from the territorial authority of Rosselkhoznadzor surveyed more than 1.1 million hectares of land in the Saratov region, studying 178 varieties of quarantine objects.
Inspections were carried out not only in agricultural fields but also on roadsides, railways, in populated areas, grain elevators, as well as in oil and gas, and electric power industry facilities. The owners of these lands are not directly related to agriculture and do not pay enough attention to this problem.
Chastov emphasized the importance of preventing the spread of weeds on lands, including those of quarantine significance for countries importing Russian grain but not quarantined in Russia.
As a result of the discussion, a decision was made to jointly work with agricultural enterprises, organizations, and responsible authorities to strictly adhere to plans for eliminating quarantine weed centers, taking into account the biological characteristics of quarantine objects.
In the near future, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance plans to hold similar meetings with representatives of road and oil and gas organizations.