The country’s food sovereignty is beyond doubt, say experts at the National Centre RUSSIA

Shelves in Russian stores are filled with domestically produced goods. Grain, meat, dairy products, fish, seafood, and many other goods are produced in sufficient quantities and exported abroad. Experts spoke about this during the discussion "Food Sovereignty of Russia". The event was held at the National Centre RUSSIA on 31 October as part of the "Community" forum marking the 20th anniversary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.

A report on the country’s self-sufficiency in food in 2024 and the key objectives set by the Civic Chamber’s Commission on Food Security was presented by Oleg Sirota, First Deputy Chair of the Civic Chamber’s Commission on the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex and Rural Areas, who moderated the discussion.

"At a threshold value of 95 per cent, we produce one and a half times more grain than we consume, and are global leaders in exports. In other areas, we have also made good progress. We already have a surplus of meat and meat products and are looking for export markets; soon, we will also become exporters of fish and seafood. We produce and export sufficient quantities of sugar and are developing milk and dairy production. Berries are our biggest growth point: by 2030 we plan to increase production by 1 to 1.5 times. And I am sure that even with bananas we will eventually achieve self-sufficiency. In addition, we have taken on the big and complex task of regulating product prices so that price surges are not so critical," said Oleg Sirota.

Chair of the Civic Chamber’s Commission on the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex and Rural Areas Aigun Magomedov outlined three key challenges facing the country’s agricultural sector.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

"Number one is, of course, the profitability of farmers. We all understand that times are tough and profitability in some sectors is falling, so the first task is to develop new and maintain existing support mechanisms and measures. The second issue is staffing. This year, a dedicated federal project was launched, and finally, there is support for agrotechnology classes. The first educational institutions will be funded as early as next year. And, of course, the third area is improving labour productivity and introducing new technologies," said Aigun Magomedov.

To ensure that support measures in staffing the sector deliver maximum results, it is necessary to rethink the approach to training specialists. This, in particular, involves close cooperation between educational institutions and businesses, said Member of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets and member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation (5th–6th convocations) Yevgenia Uvarkina.

"From 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture will significantly revise its approach to training personnel — from introducing additional support measures to the most important change: the education system will no longer decide on its own which specialists and programmes to prepare. Ten billion roubles will be allocated next year to support and train personnel, but this funding will only be available once business contributes as well. First, a company must sign an agreement, provide salary supplements for rural teachers within the new agrotechnology classes, and finance the necessary equipment for these programmes — only then will it receive a 95 per cent subsidy. This way, the education system will not be disconnected from the real needs of business," explained Yevgenia Uvarkina.

Deputy Chair of the Civic Chamber’s Commission on the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex and Rural Areas Dmitry Pekurovsky continued the discussion on training personnel. He noted that young people show great interest in agriculture when its appeal and prospects are presented correctly. As an example, he mentioned "agricultural" bloggers who play a significant role in promoting the industry.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

Producing counterfeit food products poses additional risks to the country’s food sovereignty, noted Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues and member of the Civic Chamber (6th convocation) Yulia Ogloblina. She proposed increasing fines for non-compliance with product quality standards tenfold to make the production of falsified goods economically unviable.

The discussion also featured contributions from Head of the Department for Internal Phytosanitary and Land Supervision and Grain Quality and Safety Control at Rosselkhoznadzor Olga Zakharova, member of the Civic Chamber’s Commission on Security and Cooperation with Public Monitoring Commissions Vladimir Vinnitsky, Deputy Chair of the Civic Chamber’s Commission on Territorial Development, Urban Environment and Infrastructure Natalia Grushevskaya, and Deputy Chair of the Council of the People’s Farmer Association Babken Ispiryan.

The "Community" forum, marking the 20th anniversary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, is held at the National Centre RUSSIA from 31 October to 1 November. The event brings together more than 5,000 experts, representatives of government bodies and public organisations.