Putin orders additional measures to support agricultural producers

Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin issued directives to the government to develop additional measures to support agricultural producers, following a working tour he made to the Stavropol region in the south of the country in early March.

A document published on the Kremlin website said that these measures aim to “increase the volume of agricultural production by no less than 25% by 2030 and its exports by no less than 1.5 times compared to the level of the year 2021.”

Among what was included in the President’s list of directives:

• Considering issues of increasing the volume of financing for preferential investment lending programmes, and expanding support for small businesses
• Land reclamation development
• Building the necessary facilities for processing and storing agricultural products, raw materials and food, and developing the infrastructure designated for their export
• In developing a national project for technological sovereignty in food security, steps should be taken to provide priority support to agricultural producers who rely on locally produced agricultural materials, including seeds, chemicals, biological antigens, etc.
• Develop biotechnologies, including through tax incentives and stimulating demand for biotechnology products
• Modernization of the fishing fleet (especially of small tonnage) of companies operating in coastal fishing in the “Western”, “Azov and Black Seas” and “Volga-Caspian” basins.

Putin instructed the government and Gazprom to study the task of providing gas to agricultural producers at “controlled prices” and ensure the priority of connecting them to gas distribution networks, in addition to taking the necessary measures to supply agricultural producers with gasoline and diesel in the required quantities.

Putin also directed the government and the Central Bank to submit proposals by July 1 to establish an agricultural products exchange in cooperation with the BRICS countries.

Source: RT