Industry and Trade Ministry to discuss with foreign companies possibility of producing raw materials for agrochemicals in Russia

MOSCOW. Nov 2 (Interfax) - Russia's Industry and Trade Ministry jointly with foreign leaders in the market of chemical plant protection products and seeds intend to develop the production of active chemical weed and pest killers in Russia, with the ministry's representatives visiting China soon for this purpose.

"We are going to China next week with our colleagues, and one of the matters is holding talks with Chinese companies, including on developing production of active chemical weed and pest killers," Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Mikhail Yurin said on Wednesday during a meeting of the State Duma committee on agrarian Issues.

Yurin said that foreign companies were not active in localizing the production of active substances before information appeared about plans to limit the import of chemical pesticides to Russia.

According to Yurin, production of chemical weed and pest killers totaled 176,000 tonnes in Russia last year, while imports were around 70,000 tonnes. "We are not talking about a complete ban on imports, we are only talking about making sure that we understand who and how much is imported here and what types of plant protection products," he said. "Import quotas are primarily aimed at giving an impetus for the development of the domestic industry." Yurin said.

Otherwise there is a high risk that foreign companies by importing their products "will simply put pressure on our manufacturers, and sooner or later our manufacturers under this pressure will lose the opportunity to develop, lose the opportunity to invest in their plants, and the industry will gradually begin to decline," he said. "We do not want to allow this to happen in any case. Now, we are actively working with companies to localize the production of active ingredients here," the deputy minister said.

Yurin also said that the government's draft resolution on quotas for imports of chemical weed and pest killers "is in active development." He did not announce the volume of the proposed quota, noting that it is still under discussion.

As the ministry's press service told Interfax the day before, a quota volume of 16,748 tonnes was proposed. Meantime, it was not ruled out that during consultations, which are now being held with producers and consumers of chemical pesticides, the quota volume could be adjusted. Finalized materials should be submitted for the next discussion of the working group of the customs subcommittee in November 2023.