Patrushev spoke about the role of digital transformation in agriculture

Digital transformation ensures optimization of resources, reduction of losses, as well as increased labor productivity in the fields of environmental management and the agro-industrial complex. This was announced on March 14 by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev during the government hour in the Federation Council.

"The strategic task of digital transformation is outlined for all industries in the presidential decree on National Development Goals. Without it, it is impossible to meet the guidelines for ensuring environmental well-being, increasing production and exports of agricultural products. Modern technologies are aimed at optimizing resources, reducing losses, and increasing labor productivity," he said.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the agro-industry is the leader among economic sectors in terms of labor productivity growth. He noted that from 2018 to 2024, this figure increased by 22%, where this indicator is largely due to the use of digital products.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that unmanned systems are becoming increasingly widespread, which can save up to 20% of plant protection products and reduce equipment costs by 4-5 times. At the same time, digitalization makes it possible to save on logistics in the field of sales, more than half of manufacturers use digital platforms.

Also, according to him, it is necessary to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of the agro-industrial complex, after which it will be possible to predict yields, choose the necessary agrotechnical solutions, as well as build routes for the operation of machinery. Patrushev added that on the issue of ecology, these measures will help in determining the remaining capacity of landfills and detecting violations.

In addition, AI helps to prevent pollutants from leaking, as it recognizes even minimal deviations much earlier than humans. The Deputy Prime Minister named waste management as one of the significant areas of work for digitalization. Patrushev expressed confidence that comprehensive work on these issues will continue.

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Earlier, on January 16, experts from the Alliance's AI industry clubs said that AI adoption in industries, including the agro-industrial complex, is expected to accelerate several times in 2025. Thus, classical AI is actively used by agricultural companies to solve a variety of tasks, such as forecasting yields, monitoring crops, and determining optimal conditions for cultivation and storage. Technologies help automate processes, reduce costs, increase yields, and increase the volume of finished products.