Russia has all the possibilities for an accelerated and high-quality transition to domestic seeds, breeding material, feed and medical preparations for animals, experts of the Rosselkhoznadzor believe. The bank itself has allocated about 20 billion rubles for the implementation of projects in breeding and genetics in 2021 alone, the press service of the financial organization noted.

Over the past 7 years, Russia has achieved success in ensuring its own food security. The vast majority of goods for the end consumer are Russian-made. Thus, in comparison with 2013, self–sufficiency in fish and fish products increased from 76% to 150%, in cheeses and cheese products – from 51% to 76%, in beef - from 49% to 84%. Russia has switched from importing a number of categories to exporting them.

Today, Russia fully provides the domestic market with grain, meat, fish, sugar, vegetable oil and other basic types of food, said Andrey Dalnov, head of the Center for industry expertise of the Rosselkhoznadzor. In addition, the country has a high share of domestic dairy products (84%), vegetables and melons (87%).

"Imports are no longer of strategic importance and serve to diversify the supply, to supply those products that are not produced in Russia due to the climate, for example, tropical fruits, tea, coffee. Therefore, it can be stated that the Russian consumer is reliably provided with domestic products," the head of the center believes.

Now the country faces the task of achieving import substitution in poultry farming, hatching eggs, breeding material (especially in cattle and pig breeding), seeds, vaccines, antibacterial drugs for animals, feed additives, components for greenhouses, food engineering, the Rosselkhoznadzor noted.

"Russia is well aware of these challenges and is already implementing a number of subprograms, including the development of breeding and seed production in potatoes, sugar beets, brings out a domestic competitive breed of meat chickens, develops viticulture. The prevailing external circumstances will accelerate the implementation of these subprograms and import substitution in breeding and genetics in general," Dalnov continued.

He gave examples of successful implementation of import substitution in spring and leguminous crops, where the share of seeds of domestic selection is 73%.

Rosselkhoznadzor, as the main bank of the industry, promotes the development of domestic genetics and breeding. The loan portfolio of RSHB, aimed at the development of reproductors, breeding and genetic centers, enterprises of the Russian Agricultural Academy, amounts to 64.9 billion rubles.

Last year, the Rosselkhoznadzor issued almost 20 billion rubles in loans for the development of reproductors, breeding and genetic centers, enterprises of the Russian Agricultural Academy. Since the beginning of this year, 1.3 billion rubles have been allocated for these purposes.

For example, in the Tyumen Region, the Damate Group of companies, with the support of the Rosselkhoznadzor, in 2020 began to build the country's largest breeding turkey reproducer and the world's largest breeding sheep farm. In 2020, a breeding and genetic center in dairy cattle breeding was opened in the Kaliningrad region with the support of the bank, which meets international standards and was created jointly with German companies.

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Author: Ekaterina Ivanova
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