Investment of 15 billion rubles: a rice project in the Astrakhan region will create 1,000 jobs.

The development project of the rice sector in the Astrakhan region involves creating about 1,000 new jobs. An organization named "APK Resource" will invest approximately 15 billion rubles in an ambitious project for growing and processing rice by 2026. This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Astrakhan region, Ruslan Pashaev, during a briefing for journalists. LLC "APK Resource" plans to invest around 15 billion rubles in 2023-2025 to implement the project for growing and processing rice. It is also planned to add 20-22 thousand hectares of rice fields. As part of the project, 950 new jobs will be created. The minister specified that the project will be implemented in the Kamyzyak and Chernoyarsky districts. A total of 27 thousand hectares of irrigated lands will be involved in agricultural activities for growing rice and wheat with a total volume of 146 thousand tons, including 112 thousand tons of rice and 34 thousand tons of wheat. The company also plans to build two grain processing plants with a capacity of 100 thousand tons and produce 57 thousand tons of rice groats and 21 thousand tons of compound feed. The minister added: "This will allow to keep all the added value that the investor receives, including taxes, in the region. Currently, farmers grow rice, which is then sent for processing beyond the Astrakhan region, to the Krasnodar region. We strive for all stages of the chain to take place within our region. The investor also supports this approach." Round-grain rice, long-grain varieties, and large-dispersed rice for risotto are traditionally grown in the Astrakhan region. Agriculture is one of the strategic sectors of the region, with over 2 million tons of products harvested in 2021. Plant growing remains the most promising sector of the agro-industrial complex.