"Russia will increase the production of plant protection products to 90% by 2030 thanks to the national project 'New Materials and Chemistry'."

As part of the national project "New Materials and Chemistry," it is planned to master the production of three chemical chains of herbicides by 2030. Vasily Osmakov, the first deputy minister of industry and trade, noted that currently 72% of plant protection products are produced in Russia, but by 2030, the target is to reach 90%. However, the main problem is the dependence on imports of active substances, the main supplier of which is China. The lack of basic chemistry in the country has led many chemical companies to switch to the export sector, where the production of simple products with high margins is most profitable.

Within the framework of the national project of technological sovereignty "New Materials and Chemistry," import substitution of 56 chemical chains, including herbicides, will be carried out. It is also planned to replace key active substances used in the production of plant protection products. Previously, it was expected that China and India would be the main suppliers of these substances, but the situation has changed.

The company "Shchelkovo Agrokhim" has already announced the launch of the production of active substances for plant protection products in 2025. They intend to produce six different herbicides. The target level of localization of production of active substances for pesticides should reach 20% by 2030.

The national project on technological support of food security will start from 2025 and will require investments amounting to 1 trillion rubles. It includes eight federal projects, including import substitution in agricultural machinery and the development of plant protection product manufacturing. The goal of the project is to increase the share of domestic production of chemical plant protection products from 70% in 2023 to 95% by 2030.