In the framework of the district meeting "Development of breeding and seed production in the Siberian Federal District: current state and development prospects in order to ensure efficient operation of the agro-industrial complex" with the participation of representatives of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the State Committee on Agriculture, the results of the analysis of the development strategy of the agro-industrial complex of the region until 2024 and real ways of increasing yield and realization of export potential were announced.

The event took place on the final day of the traditional inter-regional agroforum “Field Day”, where hundreds of Russian and foreign agronomists, plant breeders, managers and specialists of agricultural enterprises, farmers and industry experts gathered to exchange experience.

“Today, the problem of food security in Russia is viewed in a wider context: it is not only the number of products that are on store shelves, but also the provision of means of production,” noted Roman Nekrasov. - The doctrine of food security suggests that, according to strategic cultures, agricultural producers should use at least 70% of the seeds of Russian breeding. However, speaking of the varietal resources of the Russian Federation, we have to admit that the share of foreign breeding achievements in the state register substantially exceeds the value established by the Presidential Decree. At the same time, the pressure of foreign breeders is increasing, including in those crops that form the basis of our country's agricultural exports. ”

Roman Nekrasov noted that, despite the expansion of foreign breeding companies, Russian varieties dominate the fields of the Siberian Federal District, especially in crops such as potatoes, soybeans and corn.

However, the main negative factor hindering the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Siberian Federal District is the massive use by agricultural producers of non-zoned varieties and low-quality sowing material. The share of seeds of non-zoned varieties when sowing industrial crops is 37.4%, for fodder this indicator reaches 35%, for cereals - 15%. In addition, according to the Deputy Governor of Tomsk Oblast for agro-industrial policy and environmental management Andrei Knorr, the share of acreage planted with substandard seeds is extremely high: 41% for fodder crops, 24% for technical crops, and 18% for grain crops.

“These numbers are known to all, and the anxiety is fully justified. It is enough to say that this year every tenth enterprise in the Siberian Federal District did not receive state support due to the use of inadequate inoculum," said Andrei Knorr. “And first of all, small enterprises and farms were in the risk zone.”

According to the adopted strategy, by 2024 the regions of Siberia should increase the volume of agricultural exports by two and a half times. However, natural and climatic conditions leave their mark, which makes clear the need for zoning in the framework of state variety testing. As Sergey Menyaylo, plenipotentiary representative of the President of Russia in the Siberian Federal District, noted earlier, “We understand that there are varieties that can produce good harvest in the south, and in Siberia they may not grow. There is no universal economy in agriculture.”

The issues of competent, reasonable variety change, the introduction of advanced agricultural technologies and the provision of farms with quality seeds come to the fore. On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the State Budget Committee conducted a peer review of regional plans to increase yields, production volumes and acreage. According to the results of the analysis presented at the meeting by the head of the variety-testing network, Olga Lesnykh, the absolute majority of the regions underestimate the planned indicators without assuming the maximum realization of their potential.

The Siberian Federal District was no exception: the provided development strategy for the agro-industrial complex of the region is by no means ambitious. The most noticeable increase in gross harvest is planned for rapeseed - from 778.7 to 1,424.6 thousand tons, and for corn - from 3,059 to 3,562 thousand tons.

The planned indicators for other crops are more modest: for wheat - from 9330.9 to 11119.14 thousand tons, for soybean - from 158.8 to 260.2, for vegetables - from 954.3 to 1048.4.

The strategy also provides for an increase in acreage, which to a certain extent devalues ​​the role of the variety in realizing the potential of the region. Meanwhile, at least 20% of the crop depends on it.

According to the rating of breeding achievements included in the state register in the Siberian Federal District prepared by the State Sports Commission, many modern Russian varieties and hybrids have potential yields that exceed the plans of the region until 2024 several times.

“We see that only at the expense of the SFD’s variety-replacement alone, in the long term, can not only achieve all planned indicators, but also exceed them, bringing its agro-industrial complex to a fundamentally new level,” Olga Lesnykh commented on the situation. “Today it is no longer possible to work, relying only on the introduction of land into circulation — it is necessary to ensure the most efficient use of the sown areas."

Modern varieties of Russian breeding allow in the future to fully ensure high yields in all areas of crop production and the implementation of the tasks. However, as noted by Roman Nekrasov, “the main problem of our breeding is that high-quality genetic material is not always accompanied by the appropriate technology: the potential yield and the final harvest sometimes differ several times”. In order to resolve this issue, Russian research institutions in the near future must learn to compete with foreign colleagues who supply ready-made “package” solutions to the market.