Russia cuts vegetable imports 50% in two years - AgMin
MOSCOW. April 5 (Interfax) - Russia has cut imports of vegetables by over 50% in the past two years, from 2.5 million tonnes to 1.1 million tonnes, Russian First Deputy Agriculture Minister Dzhambulat Khatuov said at the third international forum on vegetable crops.
At the same time, he said that Russia still had a far way to go in order to use the country's full potential for cultivating vegetables.
He said that on the open agriculture, the share of personal farms on the vegetable market totaled 85%. "Our strategic task is to have those products reach modern processing as quickly as possible, to find consumers," he said, adding that "to do this there needs to be agricultural cooperation. Cooperation is needed from farmers too."
In terms of closed agriculture, Khatuov said that greenhouse complexes should expand by 320 hectares per year in upcoming years. To do this the state has called for a number of measures of support, above all, compensating 20% of capital expenses to construct greenhouse complexes.
"We need to feel confident on the domestic market and prepare ourselves toward [exporting products] to markets in other countries," he said, adding that "nobody is waiting for us."
