Russia may abandon imports of sugar beet seeds from unfriendly countries - agriculture minister

KAZAN. Aug 19 (Interfax) - The Russian Agriculture Ministry does not rule out abandoning the quota system for importing sugar beet seeds from unfriendly countries amid the growing share of domestically bred seeds of this agricultural crop.

"Given that last year we worked well with sugar beet seeds, I think that this year we will consider [it] and will not set quotas for sugar beet seeds bred in unfriendly countries - domestic amounts cover our own needs," Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said at the Russian Field 2026 All-Russian Forum on Breeding and Seed Production in Kazan on Wednesday.

The share of domestically bred sugar beet seeds reached 24% last year, Lut said. "The jump has been very significant over the past four years," she said, recalling that in recent years, Russia has been imposing quotas on seed imports from unfriendly countries to develop domestic breeding.

The quota for seed imports is 15,000 tonnes in 2026 compared to 18,300 tonnes in 2024, including 1,900 tonnes for sugar beet seeds (2,700 tonnes in 2025).