We will always have room to grow."
Interview with the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Oksana Lot for Expert magazine on food security and prospects for the development of the industry.
"It is important to us that grain production remains profitable. When purchase prices fall, it becomes more difficult, so we provide support in several areas at the same time: helping sales, reducing the current financial burden and stimulating local demand.
Just a few days ago we started acquiring interventions, and I can say that they continue quite actively. The purchase prices of the state fund are now higher than the market, so there is interest in this instrument, and we expect that the circle of participants will expand. We plan to purchase up to 3 million tons of grain, which will allow us to take some of the surplus off the market and help support the price.
As for storage, we are currently working with the regions to determine elevators that will match the intervention fund. 14 subjects from southern Russia, the Volga region and the central part of the country are involved in this work. At the same time, producers from other regions, including United Territories, will be able to sell grain.
In addition, several additional measures are taken to support the financial sustainability of farmers. Including the extension of preferential short-term loans and preferential rental for crop growers, support per acre for winter sowing as well as maintaining the status of an agricultural producer with a reduction in income from the core activity. At the same time, we are examining the issue of increasing the purchase of grain in areas with high local demand, including from animal breeding and processing plants."