On January 18, a meeting on the development of rice cultivation was held via video link under the leadership of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Andrey Razin. The First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Dagestan Sharip Sharipov took part in the meeting from the Republic of Dagestan and reported on the development of rice growing in the region.
According to him, in 2022, the area under rice crops in the republic reached a record high – 31.3 thousand hectares, which is almost 16% more than in 2021. The gross harvest amounted to 138.5 thousand tons, which is also a record figure for the entire history of rice cultivation in Dagestan. Today in Russia 8 regions are engaged in the cultivation of rice, the Republic of Dagestan occupies a confident second place, second only to the Krasnodar Territory. Thus, more than 18% of the rice sown area in the country is concentrated in the republic.
Further, the First Deputy Minister of the Republic of Dagestan noted that in Dagestan, along with the development of rice growing, measures are being taken to increase the volume of domestic processing. Last year, the 4th large rice processing plant was launched. There are plans to build another additional plant this year. For 2023, it is planned to maintain the area of rice at the same level.
Such results in rice growing have been achieved thanks to the systematic measures taken by the Ministry of Agriculture of the country and the leadership of the republic to stimulate the development of this priority crop for agriculture in Dagestan, including due to attention to land reclamation issues. Here it is also necessary to note the well-coordinated work of the federal structure – FGBU “Minmeliovodkhoz RD”, which organized effective work on supplying water to rice fields.
At the same time, in his speech, the First Deputy Minister of the Republic of Dagestan outlined a number of issues that require the assistance of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. In particular, he asked to increase support for the cleaning of the inter-farm collector and drainage network, since the Terek River is very turbid, resulting in a rapid silting of the cleaned channels. In this regard, rice growers are faced with the need to increase the volume of work performed to clean the canals.
Another issue concerns the lack of harvesting equipment. Currently, there are 153 rice harvesters in Dagestan, which covers only half of the republic’s needs. During the harvesting season, combines have to be brought in from other neighboring regions, and here too questions arise, since harvesting is taking place in those regions at the same time. In this regard, he asked to consider the possibility of introducing a new form of support – subsidizing purchased agricultural equipment, primarily in such priority areas for the country’s agriculture as rice growing.
The third point concerns the acquisition of elite seeds. Rice growers in Dagestan traditionally buy seeds from the best rice farms, as well as from the All-Russian Research Institute of Rice in the Kuban. This year, there is an increase in the cost of elite seeds, which requires an appropriate response.
Fourth, he noted that over the past two years, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture has built a clear system for the supply of mineral fertilizers at fixed prices. This circumstance helps to increase the volume of mineral fertilizers applied to the fields. Considering that fertilizers have to be delivered from outside the republic via railways, it is important to take measures to reduce the time for their arrival, since spring field work is expected to begin in Dagestan in the near future.
On all the issues identified, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Andrey Razin instructed the structural divisions to study the problems voiced and work out reasonable proposals.
Full version on the website The Republic of Dagestan took part in a meeting on the development of rice farming in 2023
