Lut reported on the Ministry of Agriculture's plan to ensure Russia's leadership in agro-industrial complexes

The Russian Ministry of Agriculture expects to ensure technological leadership of the country in the agro-industrial complex (AIC) in 12 years. This was stated by Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut on December 10 at the XI Congress "Innovative practice: science plus business" in Moscow.

"It is necessary not just to tighten up our technological endowment. Probably, as [Russian presidential aide] Andrey Alexandrovich [Fursenko] said: to step into leadership. We very much hope that within six years it will not be possible, but in 12 years we should definitely do it," Lut said.

She recalled that the country relies on its food security doctrine to ensure sovereignty.

The minister noted that the agro-industrial complex of the Russian Federation is capable of producing the final product well, but because of the emphasis on increasing production, the industry has been less engaged in technology. Luth said that the new national project "Technological Ensuring Food Security", which will start in 2025, is aimed at their development. The plan to produce enough food has been exceeded, but there are also prospects for growth: for example, it is worth developing berry production. Now Russia has support in this area from Belarus and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The head of the Ministry of Agriculture reminded that the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin instructed to achieve a 25% increase in the number of produced goods by 2030, and exports - one and a half times compared to the figures of 2021. In solving these tasks, the agro-industrial complex should proceed not only from the internal needs of Russia, but also take into account the specific needs of foreign partners.

Lut emphasized that Russia provides almost everything in terms of food, but due to the growing demand for food products, the country should strengthen itself in terms of production. Here Russia should help to strengthen food security in those countries that need it, to produce the products necessary for partners.

Earlier, on December 5, Putin said that Russia ranks first in the world in wheat supplies. In addition, the country's agro-industrial complex has significantly strengthened since the late Soviet Union: for example, in 1988, the Soviet Union purchased for itself more than 35 million tons of grain, and Russia exported 66 million tons of such products in 2023.

Before that, on November 6, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev at a lecture at the federal educational marathon "Knowledge. The First" said that the 2024 harvest guarantees Russia's food security. Patrushev pointed out that the year 2024 was not an easy one for agrarians: in May, the agro-industrial complex faced frosts, drought came in the summer, and then heavy rains began. Despite these trials, the agricultural industry successfully coped with its work.