At the YUGAGRO-2023 exhibition, Alexey Sitnikov, President of Greenhouses of Russia, urged heightened government backing for domestic vegetable seed production. The objective is to amplify the presence of Russian cucumbers and tomatoes in stores.
Sitnikov proposed compensating costs for protected seed producers, currently facing challenges in the tomato seed market. While the cost of tomato seeds per square meter exceeds premium-class tomato production costs, revenue remains lower. Discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture are underway regarding these proposals.
Acknowledging the impossibility of fully localizing vegetable production in Russia, Sitnikov underscored its risks to food security and agricultural economic activities. Despite challenges, Sitnikov noted a 7-year growth in greenhouse vegetable cultivation, from 1.2 to 3.2 thousand hectares since 2015, attracting non-traditional investors, including foreign entities.
source: xn--e1alid.xn--p1ai