Russian govt allows for possible seed import restrictions through 2025

MOSCOW. Dec 27 (Interfax) - The Russian government has allowed for possible import restrictions on certain types of agricultural crop seeds from unfriendly countries through 2025.

The possibility is envisaged by a government resolution signed on December 23, 2023, and published on the official website of legal information, the government said in a statement.

This applies to potato, wheat, rye, barley, corn, soybean, rapeseed, sunflower and sugar beet seeds.

Earlier, such restrictions were possible through 2024.

The Agriculture Ministry has drafted a list of seeds subject to import restrictions, and the government approved it in June 2023.

As reported, the government proposed limiting the import quotas to 16,000 potato seeds, 600 tonnes of malting barley seeds, 5,000 tonnes of corn seeds, including 600 tonnes of waxy corn seeds. 2,000 tonnes of rapeseed (hybrids), 7,000 tonnes of sunflower seeds (hybrids), and 2,000 tonnes of sugar beet seeds (hybrids) between January 23 and December 31, 2024. There is a zero-level quota for wheat, rye, and soybeans.

The ministry said the measure would accelerate the substitution of imports in such a major sector of agriculture as seeds. "Decisions will be based on the harvest, the seed pool, and the assessment of domestic market needs for the seeds of each crop. The amount of imported seeds will be flexibly regulated and the quotas will be progressively limited within the next three years, as domestic production increases," it said.