During his annual end-of-year press conference, President Putin said the Russian agricultural production increased by at least four per cent in 2016. “Agriculture is experiencing a significant increase. Last year, it was an increase of 2.6 per cent, and this year it appears as if it will be even more than the predicted 3.2 per cent, it will be at least four per cent,” according to Putin. Putin said this trend should be continued in coming years.
Remembering the high inflation in Russia in 2016, Putin said this was “partially to blame on the so-called import substitutes in agriculture.” “Some disproportions arise on the market. Not everyone was able to replace import by own production,” he said. “This year, agriculture will experience a good dynamic. That is why inflation will look completely different,” he continued.
Source: Kremlin
The Russian wheat harvest will amount to more than 119 million tonnes for 2016, according to Putin. National support for the agricultural sector will reach 216 billion rouble in 2017 (compared 215 billion rouble in 2016), Putin said.
Putin said the harvest had never before been this high in the recent history of Russia. “During the Soviet days, we had exemplary harvests in the 1970s, slightly higher than now, even. But we know that at that moment, unfortunately, and even with such large harvests, there still was not enough production of food for people and animals.”
Source: Agroberichten buitenland