Russian farmers lack 65,000 tractors, 34,000 combine harvesters - AgMin

MOSCOW. Oct 28 (Interfax) - The deficit of tractors in the Russian agro-industrial complex currently stands at 65,000, while the figure is 34,000 for combine harvesters, the Russian Agriculture Ministry said in materials containing proposals for changes to the agro-industrial and fisheries complexes up to 2030.

The draft government order introducing these changes were published on the ministry's website and on regulation.gov.ru.

"Currently, seasonal fieldwork in agriculture is mechanized, but to complete it within agro-technological timelines, the fleet should include 494,300 tractors and 176,500 combine harvesters. As of August 1, 2024, agricultural producers had 429,500 tractors, 127,100 grain harvesters and 15,100 forage harvesters," it said.

The proportion of tractors that have been in service for more than ten years stands at around 53%, and the figure is 45% for grain harvesters and 44% for forage harvesters. "To maintain the pace of renewing the equipment fleet and reduce the [amount of] equipment in service for more than ten years, annual renewal of 10% of the number of available self-propelled vehicles and other types of equipment is required," the ministry said.

Evaluating the condition of equipment used in livestock farming, the ministry said that it is constantly subject to severe environmental effects from water, carbon dioxide, ammonia and other substances. It therefore has a relatively low service life and requires constant replacement. "The increasing cost of metal and items made from is a significant risk for production. In addition, a large proportion of equipment used when keeping farm animals and poultry is imported. According to industry unions, the share of imports is around 50% for air-conditioning and ventilation equipment, around 50% for software and control systems, around 25% for machine tool equipment, and 30% for equipment for feed mills," it said. "Localizing these production facilities in Russia will require additional capital expenditures," it said.

The ministry also highlighted the high wear and tear at facilities housing livestock and poultry. "Despite rapid construction and modernization of livestock production facilities, around half of the country's milk is produced on dairy farms with over 60% wear and tear. According to regional agricultural management bodies, 40% of eggs are produced at poultry farms with wear levels between 40% and 60% and 30% are produced at farms with wear levels exceeding 60%," it said.

The depreciation of fixed assets in the food industry increased from 46.7% to 51.6% between 2017 and 2020, including from 58.3% to 62.3% for machinery and equipment, the ministry said, citing data from Rosstat. "Modernization and the construction of new facilities meeting the standards of advanced foreign industrial technologies are required, which will create the conditions needed for increased production and ensure the export potential of the agro-industrial complex," it said.

As reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the goal for the agro-industrial sector to increase production 25% and exports 1.5-fold by 2030 compared to 2021.