Russian MPs propose to scrap grain export duties until 2027, restrict farm machinery imports
MOSCOW. Aug 14 (Interfax) - Members of Russia's State Duma have sent Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin a letter in which they voiced concerns about the drop in farm machinery sales amid declining profit margins in agriculture and proposed a number of measures to address this situation.
"The agriculture sector is experiencing an acute shortage of farm machinery. There are not enough tractors, combines, sowers and other types of trailing and attached implements to efficiently do agricultural work. Farmers are reducing purchases. The Russian farm machinery market closed 2024 with a drop of 20% - sales by value fell below 400 billion rubles for the first time since 2017. The situation worsened in the first half of 2025: demand for machinery continued to decrease and domestic shipments of Russian machinery fell by almost a third," the letter, seen by Interfax, said.
The letter was signed by MPs Maria Vasilkova, Sergei Morozov and Yulia Ogloblina.
The lawmakers asked the prime minister to consider holding a government meeting to discuss urgent measures to support Russia's agriculture sector and made a number of proposals.
Lifting export duties on grain crops until 2027 and increasing the accessibility of subsidized financing could be key measures, they said. "This will increase agricultural producers' profitability and make it possible to return to purchases of farm machinery, the fleet of which continues to critically depreciate," the letter said.
They also proposed to impose a prohibitive duty on imports of machinery, equivalents of which are available on the domestic market. They cited regulation of the perfume, cosmetics and household chemicals market, where they said such a measure led to a 22% jump in domestic production in 2024 and an increase in budget revenues.
The lawmakers also called for tightening measures for certifying imported foreign equipment at testing stations in Russia and a review of the current model of lease financing, and proposed a number of other measures.
