Russian President Vladimir Putin to support Russian seed production

Following a meeting on the scientific and technical support for the development of the agro-industrial complex, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a number of instructions related to the development of seed production in the country. This is stated on the Kremlin's website.

Assignments to the government

The assignments of the president to the government include condition that the federal budget should provide funds for the federal scientific and technical program for the development of agriculture for 2017-2030. The state will encourage farmers to apply the scientific and technical results of the program.

In order to expand the markets for the goods that will be produced as a result of the program, it is necessary to provide information support.

The dependence of the agro-industrial complex on foreign seeds and breeding material will be reduced.

The state will provide additional support to Russian breeding, seed production and agribusiness for those agricultural crops and farm animals that play a decisive role for the country's food security.

Self-sufficiency in seeds and breeding products

According to the list of instructions, in order to implement the Food Security Doctrine, the Cabinet of Ministers must determine the list of major crops and animals and the planned values of self-sufficiency in seeds and breeding products for each of them till 2030 until March 1, 2022.

The President also instructed, by April 1, 2022, to prepare a report on measures to reduce the risks of losing the original genetic material of the main types of crops and animals and reduce the dependence of the domestic agro-industrial complex on imported seeds and breeding products. Further, such reports should be prepared annually.

Updating training programs

Also, by April 1, it is necessary to take measures to update the training programs for scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel and develop a set of measures to ensure their interaction with farmers.

In particular, in order to ensure the development of breeding and seed production in the Russian Federation, the President instructed to take measures to form a modern system of training scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel in the field of agriculture:

• determine the interdisciplinary areas of scientific research, the results of which are most in demand in agricultural production;

• take measures to update programs for the training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel in graduate school and additional professional programs;

• to develop a set of measures aimed at ensuring interaction between scientific organizations, educational institutions of higher education that train personnel for the agro-industrial complex, with manufacturers of agricultural and other products, including those who are small and medium-sized businesses.

At the same time, the government should submit proposals for additional support for domestic breeding for certain types of crops and animals that are of key importance for the country's food security.

Development of genetic technologies

Earlier, Putin instructed to develop genetic technologies for plants. On behalf of the President of Russia, the Kurchatov Institute has been creating a plan for the development of nature-like technologies for several years.

According to Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, genetic technologies make it possible to develop new agricultural crops at the request of the consumer.

For example, using genetic technologies, it will be possible to create frost-resistant or drought-resistant wheat varieties. It can be also possible to select the right genomes for a specific soil or climate or to create durum wheat suitable for Italian pasta or as raw material for the biological industry. Or it will also be possible, to create plants that can absorb more carbon dioxide.

Seed production law

The seed production law may be passed before the end of the year. It provides for the introduction of new mandatory requirements for the circulation of seeds, their use, production, sale, transportation and storage. The law proposes to approve a list of agricultural plants, varieties or hybrids of which are to be included in the state register of breeding achievements approved for use.