Agriculture is a branch of the country's economy, which not only produces the most necessary products for a person, but is also a kind of catalyst indicating the economic development of the state. high share the agricultural sector in the country's GDP, as a rule, is characteristic of developing and industrially backward countries. The share of agriculture in Liberia's GDP is 76.9%, in Ethiopia - 44.9%, in Guinea-Bissau - 62%.
In economically developed countries, the share of the agricultural industry in GDP is a few percent. But this does not mean that these countries are experiencing food problems. Quite the contrary, modern technologies applied in agriculture developed countries, allow you to get excellent results with relatively little investment.
IN Russian Federation agriculture occupies a little more than 4% in the structure of gross value added. At the end of 2014, the volume of agricultural production amounted to 4,225.6 billion rubles. Today, more than 4.54 million people work in the country's agrarian sector, which is 6.7% of all Russian workers.
2014 was one of the most successful years for Russian farmers recent history. A record harvest of vegetables was obtained - 15.5 million tons. In addition, for the second time, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was possible to harvest grain crops, more than 100 million tons. Last year, this figure was 105.3 million tons, which is almost 14% more than in 2013 and 9% more than target State program "Development of agriculture and regulation of markets for agricultural products, raw materials and food for 2013 - 2020".
The structure of Russian agriculture includes two main segments: crop production and animal husbandry. Moreover, their share in the money turnover is almost the same - crop products account for 51%, livestock products - 49%. In addition, there are three main categories of farms:
- Agricultural organizations;
- Households of the population;
- Farms.
The main share of production falls on agricultural organizations and households, but in Lately farming is growing exponentially. Compared to 2000, the turnover of farms in the Russian Federation has increased almost 20 times. And in 2014 it amounted to 422.7 billion rubles.
In the field of crop production, agricultural organizations and households have equal indicators of cash turnover, but in animal husbandry, agricultural organizations have an advantage, which is achieved by reducing the share of farms.
Enterprises of the agricultural sector, according to the results of 2014, had good financial indicators. Out of 4,800 enterprises in the agricultural sector, 3,800 organizations ended the reporting year with a profit. In percentage terms, this amounted to 80.7%. The total profit received amounted to 249.7 billion rubles. This amount is almost double what it was in 2013.
If we evaluate the activities of agricultural enterprises with the help of sustainability coefficients, then there is a picture close to ideal. So the current liquidity ratio, which is the ratio of the actual value of the organizations available current assets to the most urgent obligations of organizations, the industry average is 180.1, with an ideal value of 200. The autonomy coefficient, which indicates the share own funds, in the total value of the organization's sources of funds is 44.2%, with an ideal value of 50%.
crop production
Today, the Russian Federation has about 10% of all arable land in the world. The total sown area of fields in Russia is 78,525 thousand hectares. At the same time, in relation to 1992, the total area of arable land in Russia decreased by 32%.
70.4% of all arable land is owned by agricultural organizations. In numerical terms, this is 55,285 thousand hectares. Farms account for 19,727 thousand hectares, which is 25.1% of the total. The national economy owns only 3,513 thousand hectares, which is equal to 4.5% in percentage terms.
All crops grown in Russia are divided into the following categories:
- Cereals and legumes (wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, millet, buckwheat, rice, sorghum, triticale);
- Industrial crops (fiber flax, sugar beet);
- Oilseeds (sunflower, soybeans, mustard, rapeseed);
- Vegetables (cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, table beets, carrots, onions, garlic, zucchini, eggplant, etc.);
- Potato
- Forage crops (forage root crops, fodder corn, annual and perennial grasses)
The largest sown areas in 2014 were allocated for cereals and leguminous crops. In percentage terms, the sown area of these crops was 58.8%. The second place in terms of area under crops is forage crops - 21.8%, and oilseeds close the top three, their share in the total amount was - 14.2%.
If we consider statistics by categories of farms, then the trend remains only for agricultural organizations and farms. The share of sown cereals and legumes was 58.18% and 66%, respectively. In the national economy, the share of cereal crops accounted for only 16.6% of the sown areas. And the potato was the leader in sowing, it accounted for more than 71% of all arable land National economy.
The main areas of crop production in Russia are the Volga region, the North Caucasus, the Urals and Western Siberia. About 4/5 of all arable land in the country is located here. If we consider the percentage of enterprises engaged in the field of crop production to the total number of agricultural enterprises, then the following data will be available for the federal districts:
- Southern Federal District - 67.1%
- Far Eastern Federal District - 61.9%
- North Caucasian Federal District - 53.2%
- Central Federal District - 50.7%
- Volga Federal District - 48.3%
- Crimean Federal District - 45.9%
- Siberian Federal District - 42.7%
- Ural Federal District - 41.5%
- Northwestern Federal District - 37.4%
Among the regions, the largest percentage of crop enterprises to the total number is in the Jewish Autonomous Region - 80.2%, while the main regions for growing crops have an average ratio of 70%.
- Krasnodar region - 71.9%
- Amur region - 71.7%
- Primorsky Krai - 71.5%
- Stavropol Territory - 69%
- Volgograd region - 68.6%
- Rostov region - 68.4%
The cultivation of grain and leguminous crops occupies a leading role not only in the crop production of the Russian Federation, but also in the entire agro-industrial complex of the country. Wheat and meslin (a mixture of wheat and rye in proportions of 2 to 1) are the main agricultural commodities exported by Russia. In addition, grain crops wheat, rye, barley, corn, rice are exchange goods and are traded on commodity exchanges.
At the end of 2014, cereals and leguminous crops were sown on total area 46,220 thousand hectares. The total harvest amounted to 105,315 thousand tons. The average yield per hectare was 24.1 centners.
The most important grain crop is wheat. About 700 million tons of wheat are consumed annually in the world. Most wheat is consumed by the EU countries - about 120 million tons, China is in second place - about 100 million tons, and India is in third place - about 75 million tons.
Russia is among the top five wheat producers in the world. In 2014, 59,711 thousand tons of this cereal were grown in Russia. This is the third indicator in the world after China and India. The average wheat yield in 2014 was 25 centners per hectare. This is the highest figure in recent history. Even in 2008, when a record harvest was harvested, the yield per hectare was 24.5 centners.
The second most important cereal for the Russian Federation is barley. It is used in large quantities in the brewing industry and in the production of pearl barley and barley groats. More than 70% of barley is used for feed purposes.
In 2014, 20,444 thousand tons of barley were grown in the Russian Federation, the average yield per hectare was 22.7 centners.
Corn is the most consumed cereal in the world. In recent years, about 950 million tons of corn have been used in the world. The main producer is the United States of America, they account for about 1/3 of the corn grown in the world. In total there are 6 species of this plant, but only one is cultivated - sweet corn.
At the end of 2014, 11,332 thousand tons of corn for grain and 21,600 thousand tons for feed purposes were harvested in Russia. The yield of this cereal was 43.6 centners per hectare.
Rice is the most fertile cereal. Its average yield is about 60 centners per hectare. About 480 million tons of rice are consumed annually in the world, and the main consumers are the countries of Southeast Asia. China is in the lead, the Chinese consume about 220 million tons of rice per year, India is in second place, with a significant margin, about 140 million tons, and Indonesia is in third place - about 70 million tons.
In 2014, rice yields were below the world average, but for Russia, 53.6 centners per hectare is one of the best in post-Soviet history. In total, 1,049 thousand tons of rice were harvested last year.
Other grain cereals, following the results of the 2014 agricultural year, had the following indicators:
- Rye - 3,281 thousand tons were harvested with a yield of 17.7 centners per hectare;
- Oats - 5,274 thousand tons were harvested with a yield of 17.1 centners per hectare;
- Millet - 493 thousand tons were harvested with a yield of 12.3 centners per hectare;
- Buckwheat - 662 thousand tons were harvested with a yield of 9.3 centners per hectare;
- Sorghum - 220 thousand tons were harvested with a yield of 12.4 centners per hectare;
- Triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) - 654 thousand tons were harvested with a yield of 26.4 centners per hectare.
The leaders in grain harvesting in 2014 are the southern regions of the country: Krasnodar Territory - 13,161 thousand tons, Rostov Region - 9,363 thousand tons and Stavropol Territory - 8,746 thousand tons.
Oilseeds - as their name implies, are used to produce various vegetable oils. Three oilseeds are cultivated in Russia - sunflower, soybean and mustard. In addition, oilseeds include rapeseed, which is used in the production of biodiesel.
In 2014, oilseeds were sown in Russia on an area of 11,204 thousand hectares. The total crop yield was 13,839 thousand tons, the average yield was 13.4 centners per hectare. Most of all sunflower seeds were sown and harvested. 6,907 thousand hectares were allocated for this crop, and the harvest amounted to 9,034 thousand tons.
Oilseed or annual sunflower is a type of sunflower that is grown to produce vegetable oil. Sunflower oil is the most popular type of vegetable oil in Russia and Ukraine. These two countries are the world leaders in the production of this product. In total, the world produces about 12 million tons of sunflower oil annually, and more than 60% of this amount falls on these two countries. Sunflower oil ranks fourth in world consumption, accounting for 8.7% of the world production of vegetable oils.
Soybean oil - ranks second in the world in terms of production. And in Russia, this crop is the second most important oilseed after sunflower. Of all vegetable oil produced in the world, soybean oil makes up 27.7%. In 2014, 2,597 thousand tons of soybeans were grown in the Russian Federation, the average yield was 13.6 centners per hectare. 10 years ago, soybean cultivation volumes were 8 times less than today, and the yield was lower by an average of 25-30%.
In 2014, the largest mustard crop was harvested in Russia - 103 thousand tons. This culture is used to make mustard oil, which is widely used in medicine, cooking, and perfumery. Compared to other oilseeds, mustard has a low yield. In 2014, it amounted to 6.6 centners per hectare.
Rapeseed is a herbaceous plant of the cruciferous family. It gained great popularity after the invention of biofuels. Rapeseed oil is used to make this energy carrier. In Russia, the volume of rapeseed grown over the past 10 years has increased more than 10 times from 135 thousand tons in 1999 to 1,464 thousand tons in 2014. The yield of this crop last year amounted to 17.6 centners per hectare of winter rapeseed and 12.5 centners from hectares - spring.
2014 was the most productive year for vegetables, in total, 15,458 thousand tons of vegetable crops were harvested. Also this year, a record number of cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, garlic and pumpkins were harvested. The total number of harvested vegetables for each type:
- Cabbage - 3,499 thousand tons;
- Tomatoes - 2,300 thousand tons;
- Bulb onion - 1,994 thousand tons;
- Carrot - 1,662 thousand tons;
- Cucumbers - 1,111 thousand tons;
- Table beet - 1,070 thousand tons;
- Table pumpkin - 713 thousand tons;
- Zucchini - 519 thousand tons;
- Garlic - 256 thousand tons;
- Other vegetables - 979 thousand tons
The average yield of vegetable crops in 2014 was 218 centners per hectare.
Forage crops are grown for the needs of animal husbandry, and in the Russian Federation this type of crop is sown in large volumes. In 2014, 17,127 thousand hectares were allocated for fodder crops. This is the second indicator after grain crops. Over the past year, about 62,000 thousand tons of various feeds were collected.
Most of the agricultural land was given over to perennial grasses. In 2014, 10,80 thousand hectares were sown with them. The resulting crop - 39,133 thousand tons was used as green fodder - 30,388 thousand tons (77.6%), and 8,745 thousand tons (22.4%) was harvested for hay.
Annual grasses were sown on an area of 4,582 thousand hectares. The harvest of 2014 - 21,650 thousand tons was distributed as follows: 10.6% was used for hay, and the remaining 89.4%, that is, 19,356 tons were used for making haylage - grass dried to a moisture content of 50%, preserved in special hermetic containers.
Sugar beet is the most important industrial crop for Russia. It is one of the two main world crops that are used to produce sugar. On average, the world produces about 170 million tons of sugar per year. At the same time, about 37% of all sugar is produced from sugar beets. The leaders in growing this crop are China, Ukraine, Russia and France.
In order to produce 1 kg. Sugar needs a little less than 5 kg. sugar beets. In 2014, 33,513 thousand tons of beets were harvested in Russia. The yield was 370 centners per hectare. It should be noted that this indicator is 16.2% lower than last year, when a record yield was recorded.
Another industrial crop - fiber flax is used for the production natural fiber. Linen fiber is 2 times stronger than cotton and is the basis of the Russian textile industry. In addition, flax seeds are used to produce linseed oil. In 2014, 37 thousand tons of fiber flax fiber and 7 thousand tons of seeds of this plant were harvested in the Russian Federation.
The potato is the most common edible root vegetable in the world. More than 350 million tons of potatoes are grown annually in all countries. The leaders in potato production are China, India, Russia, Ukraine and the USA. On average, every year there are about 50 kg per inhabitant of the earth. this product. And the leader in potato consumption is Belarus - 181 kg. per year per capita.
Potato is the most popular crop grown in households. In 2014, 31,501 thousand tons were harvested in the Russian Federation, while 80.3% - 25,300 thousand tons were grown in households. Last year was also marked by the highest potato yield, on average it amounted to 150 centners per hectare.
animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture that supplies the country's food and light industry with raw materials. The main activity of animal husbandry is raising livestock for slaughter. About 260,000 tons of meat are consumed annually in the world. In developed countries, the consumption rate is on average 70 - 90 kg. meat per person per year, and in developing countries this figure barely reaches 40 kg. in year. The United States is the leader in meat consumption - about 120 kg. per person per year.
In Russia, meat consumption averages about 70 kg. per person per year. Although Russians prefer pork of all types of meat, they eat poultry meat (mainly chicken) most of all. This is primarily due to the high cost of pork.
As for the consumption of eggs, Russia is on the same level with countries such as Germany and Italy. On average, the inhabitants of these countries consume about 220-230 eggs per year. But in terms of consumption of milk and dairy products, Russians are significantly inferior to residents of European countries and the United States. In Russia, the annual consumption of these products is about 220 kg. per year, while in France and Germany, which occupy the first places in the list, the consumption of dairy products is at the level of 425 kg. per person per year.
Animal husbandry in Russia is represented by 4 main industries:
- Cattle breeding - raising cattle for the purpose of obtaining meat and milk;
- Sheep breeding - raising livestock for meat and wool;
- Pig breeding;
- Poultry farming - raising poultry for meat and eggs.
The main part of the livestock is grown in large agricultural organizations. Parity is maintained only in cattle breeding. The number of heads of cattle in households and agricultural organizations is approximately the same - 8,672 and 8,521 thousand heads, respectively. At the same time, more cows are kept in the households of the population - 4,026 thousand heads, while agricultural organizations have a livestock of 3,431 thousand heads. In poultry farming, the share of agricultural organizations accounts for 81% of the livestock, and in pig farming - 79.9%.
Cattle breeding - the most important industry Russian livestock sector accounts for 60% of the gross turnover. Dairy, meat and meat and dairy breeds of cattle are bred on the territory of the country. The breeding of a particular breed depends on the feeding conditions, therefore, in different regions of the Russian Federation, animals are grown that are most adapted to local conditions.
Dairy breeds of cows are bred in areas located in the forest and forest-steppe zone. First of all, these are the Northern, Northwestern, Volga-Vyatka and Ural regions. The Vologda region is a region where dairy cattle breeding is most developed, it is not for nothing that this region is famous throughout Russia for its dairy products. Dairy cattle breeding accounts for more than 70% of all agricultural products in the region.
Meat and meat-and-milk breeds of cows are bred in the steppe regions and adjacent semi-deserts. The main breeding centers are the Central Black Earth region, the North Caucasus region, the south of the Urals and Siberia.
The total number of cattle at the end of 2014 amounted to 19,293 thousand heads. This is 2.2% less than in 2013 and 3.3% less than in 2012. Since 1990, the number of cattle in Russia has been decreasing; over 25 years, the number of heads has decreased by 2.5 times. First of all, this is due to the reluctance to invest in this industry, since they pay off in 8-10 years. For comparison, in poultry farming, investments pay off in 1-2 years, and in pig farming in 3-4.
But despite the reduction in livestock, Russia continues to be among the leading countries in this indicator. True, the Russian cattle population is only 5.91% of the Indian one.
Sheep breeding is a livestock industry that has become widespread in the mountainous and arid regions of the Russian Federation. The centers of sheep breeding are the North Caucasus and the semi-desert regions of the Southern Urals.
Unlike cattle breeding, the breeding of small cattle in Russia is gradually gaining momentum. Compared to 2000, the number of sheep increased by 10 million heads and at the end of 2014 amounted to 22.246 million heads.
Pig breeding is most common in the Central Black Earth, Volga-Vyatka and Volga regions of the country. That is, in areas where cereal crop production and the cultivation of fodder crops are developed. The leader in the production of pork in the Russian Federation is the Belgorod region - about 26% of the product of the total Russian volume is produced here. In Russia, 4 types of pigs are bred:
- sebaceous;
- Meat;
- Ham;
- Bacon.
The total number of pigs in the Russian Federation at the end of 2014 amounted to 19.575 thousand heads. And in total, the pig population in the world has more than 2 billion heads. About half of the livestock is in the countries of Southeast Asia (China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar), about 1/3 of the EU and CIS countries, and the US accounts for about 10%.
Poultry farming is the most dynamically developing branch of Russian animal husbandry. The increase in livestock began at the beginning of the 2000s and increased by 1.5 times over 14 years. Today, poultry meat is the most popular in Russia. And the livestock reaches 529 million heads.
But besides Russia, poultry meat is the most consumed in Australia, Northern and South America. For example, in the United States, the level of consumption of poultry meat is almost 55 kg. per person per year, which is more than 3.5 times the world average consumption.
In addition to meat, poultry farming provides the population with eggs. Average performance one laying hen in 2014 amounted to 308 eggs per year. And in general, 41.8 billion eggs were produced in Russia over the past year. This performance has been maintained for several years.
Export and import of agricultural products
Compared to 2013, the export of Russian agricultural products increased by 14% and amounted to 19.1 billion US dollars. But, despite such a significant growth, the amount of imports in this sector of the economy exceeds the level of exports by more than 2 times. At the end of 2014, the export of agricultural products amounted to 40.9 billion dollars, which is 9.1% less than in the previous year.
Major share Russian export constitute crop products. About 2/3 of exports are cereals. In 2014, Russia exported over 22 million tons of wheat. This is the third world indicator after the US and the European Union.
The overall increase in wheat exports from Russia increased by 60% compared to 2013. The main grain deliveries took place sea transport, and the ranking of Russian grain exporters is as follows:
- LLC International Grain Company. Share in export - 12.79%, port of shipment - Temryuk.
- Trading house "RIF". Share in export - 7.78%, ports of shipment - Azov (61.33%), Rostov-on-Don (38.67%).
- Outspan International. Share in export - 7.24%, ports of shipment - Novorossiysk (51.58%), Azov (26.26%), Rostov-on-Don (13.96%).
- Cargill. Share in export - 6.96%, ports of shipment - Novorossiysk (66.71%), Rostov-on-Don (21.91%), Tuapse (11.28%).
- Aston Company. Share in export - 5.46%, ports of shipment - Rostov-on-Don (76.38%), Novorossiysk (16.26%).
In addition to grains, Russia exports a large amount of sunflower oil. About 25% of the produced product, that is, about 1 million tons, is exported. Russia also exports exclusive goods: black and red caviar, honey, mushrooms, berries.
Among imported food products most of them are meat and meat products, fruits, vegetables, fish and fish products. The decrease in imports in 2014 was due to sanctions, as well as the import substitution program. True, not all products can be replaced with domestic ones, since due to climatic conditions it is impossible to grow them in Russia. Basically, import substitution affected livestock products. In general, imports in this sector were reduced by 10%.
In 2015, it is planned to further reduce food imports. For these purposes, the state has put into operation production capacity, specializing in the production of products that are not typical for Russia. Now Parmesan cheese is produced in Tatarstan, Camembert and mascarpone cheeses are produced in Altai, and production has been launched in the Sverdlovsk Region. meat delicacy- jamona.
Prospects for the development of the industry
Despite the excellent harvest in 2014, Russian farmers should not flatter themselves. The agricultural sector has always been one of the most difficult to develop, and given the vast territory and diverse climatic conditions, a lot of effort will have to be made to improve the agricultural sector in Russia.
First of all, it is necessary to attract investments in the agricultural sector. Now, due to the lack of equipment, a significant part of arable land is not cultivated. In some regions, there are only 2 tractors per 100 hectares of arable land. Due to low profitability, livestock breeders are forced to reduce the number of cattle, which leads to an increase in meat imports.
Another factor hindering the growth of the Russian agro-industrial complex is the high price of fuels and lubricants and problems with transportation. After all, the crop must not only be grown, but also harvested, delivered to the place of storage and stored. Depending on the type of crops, more than 40% of products deteriorate during transportation and storage.
In addition, due to the large territory of Russia, very often there are problems with the redistribution of agricultural products. For example, in the Far East in 2014, a large soybean crop was harvested, but what to do with it is not yet clear. After all, there are only two large processing plants in the region, and it is not profitable to transport the product to the European part of the country, since it is cheaper to bring soybeans from Brazil here.
The problem of highly qualified personnel is still relevant. Low wages and difficult working conditions increase the outflow of workers from this industry. There is also a lack of scientific support for this segment of the economy.
But, despite all the difficulties, the government of the Russian Federation for 2015 set the task for farmers to improve the results of 2014. To provide the country with its own agricultural products, it is necessary to increase the number of cattle by 2.3 million heads, poultry - by 11 million heads, and collect grain by 3 million tons more than was collected in 2014.
Briefly and on the case of the agricultural market, read on Answr
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Russia's agriculture is demonstrating undoubted success, but at the same time, many old problems remain and new ones appear. The number of people employed in agricultural production is declining - over the past ten years, their number has decreased by 45%. This is 1.4 million people. Is it good or bad? Why is the problem of equitable distribution of state aid among agricultural producers not being solved? Why do farms and private households produce half of the food in the country, while less than 10% receive subsidies from the state budget? Director of the All-Russian Research Institute of Agrarian Problems and Informatics, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander PETRIKOV spoke frankly about the unresolved issues of agricultural production in Russia, with whom the publisher of the Krestyanskie Vedomosti portal, host of the Agrarian Policy program of the Public Television of Russia, Associate Professor of the Timiryazev Academy Igor ABAKUMOV met.
— Alexander Vasilievich. There is a joke that agrarian problems begin with the very name of your institute...
- Yes, Igor Borisovich, this joke is really quite common in the expert community, even one high official once said: “Now I know where the problems in our agriculture come from,” to which I replied: “Imagine that our institute was called would be the All-Russian Institute of Agrarian Success. Where there are successes, science and experts have nothing to do.
- I think that such a name of the institute would be in demand now - the Institute of Agrarian Success. We have success everywhere, but for some reason they don’t talk about money very actively. All the money, I heard, goes to large holdings - is it true or not?
- Well, if we leave the irony about the name of our institute and about the success in agriculture, then we really know that economic growth in the countryside has already become a stable phenomenon that almost everyone is talking about. But it would be even greater if we had a more efficient distribution of the agrarian budget - federal and regional.
- What did the population census show in this sense? Here are the results now.
— The All-Russian Agricultural Census, which took place in 2016, was the second in history new Russia and brought many unexpected results. In particular, if we talk about the distribution of the budget, then all participants in the census (agricultural organizations, individual entrepreneurs) were asked whether they received subsidies and subsidies from the state federal or regional budget in 2015. And the distribution of answers is as follows: 75% of representatives of large farms answered positively to this question, but by no means small enterprises ...
- That is, 75% are satisfied with life?
- Yes, but still I want to note that 25% did not receive subsidies and subsidies. And if we take micro-enterprises, then this percentage is 56%, and if we take farmers and individual entrepreneurs- that is 34%. That is, we see that the census confirmed, in fact, in quantitative terms, long ago known fact that in our agriculture small and medium business about 2 times is supported by the state to a lesser extent than large ones.
- Did I understand correctly that this very small and medium-sized business produces about half of the food?
- Yes it is. And recently we have seen several initiatives of the government, which has tightened control over the targeted and efficient distribution of state budget funds, and has become concerned with the question of how to bring money to the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. But let me ask, what is being done inside the subjects? How does this money get into peasant accounts? I think this is the second one main question, which will have to be decided.
- Alexander Vasilyevich, this year marks 40 years since I have been dealing with the rural topic in journalism. And for 40 years, and the last 25 years after the reform, there have been most intensive conversations about how to bring money to the peasant. At what stage do they start to go somewhere in the wrong direction? I am not saying that they are being stolen, I am not saying this - I am simply saying that they are starting to go somewhere in the other direction, they do not reach the peasant. For this, in fact, Rosselkhozbank was formed in 1991-1992, if I remember correctly. First there was Agroprombank, then Rosselkhozbank, then it disappeared somewhere, then again Rosselkhozbank was re-formed specifically to bring money to the peasants, because large banks do not reach the village. Why is it necessary to carry out everything through the administration of the regions? Why not right away?
- Yes, indeed ... I think that the problem of resource allocation in general in Russia - not only budgetary, but the problem of distribution in general - worries us more than the problem of production efficiency. This, Igor Borisovich, was before us and will be after us. But speaking again without irony ...
“Impossible without irony, Alexander Vasilyevich.
- ... the uneven distribution of the budget - I will say now, perhaps, an unpopular and not approving idea for you - was partly due to the distribution in favor of big business, when we had to urgently solve the problem of the country's food independence, in a relatively short period of time, in 10 years, to fill the market with domestic food, and this problem was solved by large farms. But now we are talking about other. Now other tasks are being put forward. The challenge is to produce better food, the challenge economic growth in agriculture, not on the purchase of foreign technologies, as was the case in the last 15-20 years ago, but on domestic technologies, so that products are significantly cheaper and best quality. These problems should be solved not only by large farms, but also by small and medium-sized businesses. And it is necessary to think about the redistribution of resources.
And there is one more aspect I would like to draw your attention to. Yes, indeed, we have a two-stage transfer of funds. Why not immediately federal budget, say, to bring money from the federal treasury to the accounts of peasant farms and agricultural organizations? This is how our budget system works. Our regions have their own budgetary possibilities, and they should also participate in the co-financing of agriculture. Actually, this is how the agrarian budget is built in all countries with a federal structure - take, for example, in Europe: there is an agrarian budget of the EU, which is formed in Brussels, there is an agrarian budget at the level of the EU countries, and, for example, in countries with a federal structure ( in Germany) there is an agrarian budget of the states. But when they talk about the European experience, they forget one thing: with regard to production subsidies, all distribution rules are formed in the budget there, and not a single EU country can change them.
I think that we also need to build a budget in such a way that production subsidies, on which production volumes directly depend, and the rules for distributing this money were formed in Moscow, and the regions did not interfere in this process. In our country, the final rules for subsidizing, subsidizing agriculture are written not in Orlikov Lane, but in every subject of the Russian Federation.
- I will remind our readers: Orlikov Lane is where the Ministry of Agriculture is located.
- Since the budgeting rules are not written in the center by the government, but each region adds its own conditions and criteria for receiving this money, there are many abuses here. I think that it is necessary to reform the budgeting of our industry so that it is here, in Moscow, that the final rules for the distribution of subsidies are determined.
— And addresses, Alexander Vasilyevich.
And addresses.
- Farmers are all known, they are all registered - directly from Moscow, you can transfer money to their accounts.
- I must say that the Ministry of Agriculture actually maintains a register of budget recipients, but it is only a departmental resource, this budget. Here it will be necessary to think about certain systems of public control over this register.
And I must say that, after all, one should not confuse the two goals of agrarian policy. I have already said that over the past 10-15 years we had to decide in short time the problem of food independence of the country, that is, to fill the market with domestic food, primarily the market of large cities, the interregional market. On the whole, we have successfully solved this problem.
— It must be clearly stated that agricultural holdings have solved this problem.
— Agricultural holdings. But at the same time, we have missed the social aspects of our agricultural policy. I will give such a figure that the census showed. The census showed that, for example, over the past 10 years, the total number of people employed in agricultural organizations, in farms has decreased by 45% - 1 million 400 thousand workers have been withdrawn from agriculture, and we continue to cultivate the same area (125 million hectares of agricultural land), the same cultivated area (about 78 million hectares). So, they came ... The release of such a number of agricultural workers is a payment for efficiency. Plus, of course, little money is spent on social amenities.
- In my opinion, now it is not spent at all, Alexander Vasilyevich.
- No, about 5% of all resources of the state program are spent.
How much was declared?
- This is less than the passport of the program, unfortunately. Everything is underfunded, only 5% of the resources of the state program are allocated. Naturally, this is not enough.
- The law on the development of agriculture defines what an agricultural producer is.
— Yes, a very original definition of this concept has been given. If in Europe an agricultural producer and a budget recipient, respectively, is considered any farm that has more, for example, 2 hectares of land in cultivation, then we have a different criterion - it is necessary that in the total income of agricultural organizations or a farm there should be 70% of income from agriculture and only 30% from other activities. What does this lead to? We can engage in agricultural activities on a large scale, but if you do not maintain the proportion, you are not considered an agricultural producer, and accordingly you are not entitled to subsidies and subsidies. I think that this criterion needs to be reconsidered, in any case it is necessary to reduce it by 50%, and maybe completely abandon this rule and give support to those who have, say, more than 2 hectares of land in cultivation, as in Europe, or we have. This question can be discussed.
- In the United States, they adopted such a criterion - I know this for sure: if you produce products for at least 1 thousand dollars a year, then you already have the right to a subsidy, you are already a farmer. Even if you're a weekend farmer like our 600's.
- Yes. As a result, we are artificially slowing down the diversification of agriculture, because in order for the economy to be sustainable, it must not only depend on agricultural income, which, as we know, often depends on the weather, especially in our country, but also on other activities. But in America, Igor Borisovich, there is another rule: there are restrictions on the maximum amount of funds received from the American budget for each type of subsidy. There, if your income exceeds 900 thousand dollars (translated into our money, this is 54 million rubles), you will not receive a cent from the budget in support. We do not have such restrictions, so our large farms, which have large areas of land under cultivation, also get most of the subsidies. I think we will get there. In order to achieve a more even distribution of budgetary funds and improve access to these funds for the bulk of agricultural producers, we will have to move to limits on the allocation of money from the budget.
Again, I repeat: with regard to production subsidies, federal, clear, uninterpretable, established in federal legislation and legal acts The Ministry of Agriculture criteria for the distribution of money, the prohibition of the regions to interfere in the rewriting of these criteria, a public register of budget recipients, which, of course, must be labeled “for official use”, because we do not have such public registers from which it would be known how much each the person receives money. Let's say social security.
“But at least at the level of the farming community, this needs to be discussed.
- And registers of all those who applied for subsidies should be kept, there should be a fixation in this register of the reasons for refusing to receive subsidies. And with the right for agricultural producers to go to court if they believe that such a right has been violated. Then we will move on to a more efficient and socially fair distribution of funds. I repeat, I do not want to be written down as a harsh critic of the current system. In part, this system is forced. It was necessary to increase production volumes in a short time, we were forced - we did it consciously - to distribute funds in favor of large farms.
- Tellingly, no one was against it. But when these large farms, holdings began to become too large, it was already necessary to limit them in some way.
- When they start working for export - that's another story.
“It's a completely different business. This is not filling the domestic market, this is filling the market in Abu Dhabi somewhere. Alexander Vasilyevich, what else did the 2016 census show?
I would also draw your attention to social aspects which we have already begun to talk about. In particular, there were questions about the average age of those employed in agriculture.
Is the village getting old?
- I must say that we have data from the population census for the whole rural population, but as for those employed in agriculture, the census is the only source from which one can draw this information. And I must say that we see that in 10 years, say, among men from 18 to 29 years old, these are young workers, their specific gravity decreased; on the contrary, the proportion of workers aged 60 and over has increased.
- The salary is not growing, apparently.
- Including among women. This, of course, is an unfavorable trend, and it is necessary to think about new programs to attract young workers to the countryside. Even I know that large farms this problem is very important.
What other problems did the census show?
- I would also name one more problem - this is the problem of innovations in agriculture. I must say that for the first time in 2016, these questions were included in the census forms, and we should generally be concerned about these numbers.
- That is, computerization, robotization, facilitation of manual labor, do I understand correctly?
— Not only such innovations from the class digital economy. I'm talking about the elementary.
- Seeds?
- For example, the share of sown areas sown with elite seeds - in agricultural organizations it is 7.7%, over 10 years it has increased by only 3 percentage points, and among farmers - 4.6%, decreased by 2%. This is a very good indicator.
- Thank you very much, Alexander Vasilyevich. We talked about the results of the census of the rural population, about the agrarian census. The results, on the one hand, are comforting (we still have a rural population), and on the other hand, offend our farmers, offend those who produce half of all food, in agricultural loans, subsidies and subsidies.
In what areas robotization is really useful and necessary, and what should be feared by people employed in agriculture, the magazine understood Agrotechnics and technologies»
We must not forget about the main problem of mankind - overpopulation. Most articles about agriculture begin precisely with forecasts of the growth of the Earth's population - 8.5 billion people by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050. Feeding them is really problematic, because the planet's resources are depleted, the volleys of the last green revolution with new Norman wheat varieties Borlaug died down more than 60 years ago, and the population has more than doubled since then.
But still, robots cannot completely replace humans in agriculture. It turns out that Russia has such a cheap labor force that even free "pieces of iron" are not able to compete with it. However, automation is still inevitable.
According to Json & Partners Consulting, labor productivity in Russian agriculture lags behind productivity in German by three times, and productivity in our country is 2.5-3 times lower. And this is a consequence not only of the technological lag, but also of the lack of a work ethic - there are always employees who do their job poorly. Only automation can fix the status quo. It is thanks to her that milk yields are growing in Russia and the quality of milk is improving, and poultry farmers and pig farmers have come close to world production standards and have been able to export their products.
The use of robotic systems in agriculture can increase the efficiency of business processes by an average of 50-70%.
No longer exotic
Many Russian agricultural holdings and processing companies have already automated business processes and started robotizing production, says Vitaly Sheremet, head of the competence center in the agro-industrial complex of KPMG in Russia and the CIS. However, the implementation of these innovations is uneven. “To a greater extent, already structured processes are subject to robotization, as well as those processes in which such a measure leads to economic efficiency", says the expert.
There are many examples of back office robotization, accounting, legal and some HR functions, where the cost of labor is quite high and there is a shortage of experts in the market, he continues. “At the same time, robotization of the front office, for example, in the agricultural sector, is an area that, it would seem, fits perfectly with the very idea technological innovation, is of interest, but so far quite theoretical, because the cost of labor in this segment is much lower, and often robotization cases simply cannot withstand economic analysis”, explains Vitaly Sheremet. According to him, this is due to the fact that human labor in domestic agriculture is cheaper than the cost of modern equipment.
However, this situation will change in the future. Agriculture is experiencing a serious shortage of both skilled and unskilled workers. Therefore, the trend towards robotization and the reduction in the cost of these technologies over time, on the one hand, will solve the problem of staff shortages, and on the other hand, will create a need for highly qualified personnel, which will be properly rewarded, Sheremet predicts.
The same people will be replaced by robots in agriculture as in industry and the service sector. That is, workers who perform monotonous and mechanical work. It is the repetitive sequence of actions that lends itself best to automation. “We are not yet ready to completely replace people on the ground in these areas, but there are already precedents where, in a number of classes of tasks, systems like the same artificial intelligence that operates on a large amount of data can produce better solutions than a person in terms of probability” , says CEO SibEDGE Alexander Kalinin. From this point of view, almost all work on the farm can be automated even now, if there is money.
However, there are areas where machines are still very far from humans. Robots are the worst at dealing with creative work and operations where there is no one correct answer, and therefore, agronomists, engineers, designers and marketers can be calm. Although there have already been cases when people working in large processing industries, for example, engineers, were forced to retrain or go to other areas, Alexander Kalinin notes. “Often, a professional person costs a company much more than the corresponding software. And the logical decision is to replace it. Yes, there is still a transitional period of digitalization, although people in complex industries are already becoming more expensive, and automation is becoming a profitable alternative, ”he argues.
For the most part, all these opportunities bypass Russia, because the intensity of investments in the technological modernization of production is forcedly low. The topics of introducing radically new technologies, digitalization, and robotization are especially low. “For example, production robots are purchased annually in Russia 80-200 times (!) less than in China or the United States,” emphasizes Ilya Kuzminov, head of a department at the HSE Institute for Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge.
Human labor in the domestic agro-industrial complex is cheaper than the cost of modern equipment.
Only for the big and rich
In Russian agriculture, the automation potential is quite high only in large agricultural organizations. This is mainly due to financial possibilities such organizations. The richest of them can be considered meat producers, who also have everything necessary equipment for automation. “In animal husbandry, the processes of feeding, cleaning livestock, and milking cows can be fully automated, but qualified operators of automated complexes are needed. On average, a complex of 200 cattle can serve no more than 10 people, ”says a senior researcher at the Laboratory for Research on Entrepreneurship Problems of the Institute of Applied economic research(IPEI) RANEPA Stepan Zemtsov.
In the realm of big companies and large factories any reduction in labor usually reduces the cost. In addition, meat processing is an agro-industrial sector close to industry, where traditionally they are very actively reducing the need for labor force. “Today, Russia has set a course for maximum robotization of industry. The selected direction does not affect single business processes, but on the system and development strategy as a whole,” states the General Director of the Management Company of the Group of Companies “ White Frigate» (a group of companies that includes an agro-complex with poultry production, meat processing and food products from poultry) Timur Gasiev.
Now " White Frigate» uses manual labor only to produce the boneless group. But with the expansion of production, automation will also be required there. However, the company sees not only the pros, but also the cons of this process.
“According to international analysts, the use of robotic systems in agriculture makes it possible to increase the efficiency of business processes by an average of 50-70% due to a reduction in fuel consumption, water and electricity losses. But, on the other hand, automation also has disadvantages - these are high implementation costs, the possibility of technical failures, and a lack of qualified personnel to maintain systems, ”says Timur Gasiev. According to him, now manual labor is less expensive, but this only applies to the average volume of production, which is “ white frigate". However, the more the company develops the sales market, introduces new brands and types of products, the more relevant is budget planning, taking into account the full transition to automatic production. In other words, the automation of everything production cycle is a serious investment, and contributions are inevitable if the company is focused on high results.
When production is automated, costs and revenues can be planned very accurately. And even deliver and distribute orders without human intervention. Such systems are already being developed by IT companies. So, the SibEDGE company is working on creating a web-based centralized system, which will be able to work with the entire fleet of devices of the meat processing plant. The system is tightly integrated with the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning - enterprise resource planning) system of the enterprise. It will have a modernized, but at the same time understandable interface, which should have a positive effect on the speed of the operator by reducing the number of errors made in the process.
The software will help manufacturers automate the distribution of orders at meat processing plants, and customers will receive fresh meat products in one click.
In crop production, however, the level of automation is still less, and it solves specific problems, for example, raw material management and resource saving. There are no plans to replace humans with robots.
Dmitry Teplov, director of the Krasnokamsk RMZ, cites a high-speed haylage packer for forage harvesting "Senage in line" as an example of partial automation. It does not require a machine operator or a tractor driver to operate it - it only needs one person to feed the bales, while a typical packer needs up to two tractors to operate: one for the bales and the second as a power unit for the packer. All this equipment requires up to four people. Yes, and productivity will be low - about 25 rolls per hour, because people get tired, make mistakes, they need a break. “Sometimes we encounter mistakes that employees make deliberately. They are in a hurry and put unevenly dried grass into rolls or reduce the packing density of the roll in order to earn more money with piecework wages, ”admits Dmitry Teplov. Separate digital solutions are being introduced to control such workers.
The appearance of a high-speed packer made it possible to produce up to 80 bales per hour and provide food for up to 2 thousand heads in the almost complete absence of people.
Robots perform worst in creative work and operations where there is no one right answer.
Winners…
Automation in agriculture helps to reduce costs and increase labor efficiency, which is especially important when fewer people are willing to devote their lives to agriculture. In addition, in developed countries, farmers are rapidly aging. For example, over the past thirty years, the average age of an American farmer has grown from an already considerable 50.5 years to 58.3 years. That is, almost all of them are pensioners without five minutes. At the same time, over the past 10 years, the number of American farms has fallen by 200,000 to 2 million. “Today, in the world, one farmer provides an average of 155 people with products, as digital technologies in agriculture develop, this figure will grow to 255,” says Dmitry Teplov. In practice, this will mean the loss of jobs.
“Based on our practice in large industrial companies, on average, robotic process automation technology can replace two full-time workers in a routine process,” calculates the managing partner of CRII (Center for Robotization and artificial intelligence) Sergei Yudovsky.
Often, it is the age of farmers that makes them resort to automation, since it is difficult for an elderly person to work on a farm. That’s why Japanese farmers love the Yamaha RMAX unmanned spraying helicopter, because the average age of a farmer in Japan is 66 years old – it’s already hard to do spraying on your own.
But there is also an alternative point of view on the technological revolution in the agro-industrial complex. In Russia, there is still not everywhere gas and electricity, not like the Internet, and secretaries help many farmers use the banal Skype, so it’s more correct to talk not about robotization, but about updating farms. “The slow growth of labor productivity in Russian agriculture against the backdrop of a slow reduction in the number of jobs in the industry is taking place. But the factor of introducing new technologies is far from being the main one,” says Ilya Kuzminov from the Higher School of Economics. According to him, certain prosperous enterprises are gradually increasing their technical equipment, acquiring a completely traditional production equipment and machines that have existed on the world market for decades and are based on old technologies (for example, milking machines and tractors). Secondly, business processes are being optimized. “In other words, not hopeless enterprises are forced to put things in order in production, eliminate the loss of raw materials, damage to equipment, and theft. Hopeless, least efficient enterprises continue to die off, especially intensively in the regions of the North and East of the country that are unfavorable for agriculture. And this process has been going on for more than 25 years,” the expert notes.
Nevertheless, when comparing the costs of a human employee and a robot employee, some features must be taken into account, but if taken at a minimum, then the equivalent wages is the annual license of the robot, and the equivalent of training is the cost of development, Sergey Yudovsky explains. According to both indicators, the robot is cheaper and, most importantly, performs routine processes more accurately than a person.
“If we consider the offers of large vendors of such technologies, then the cheapest license will cost about 150 thousand rubles a year, while with this license it will be possible to launch completely different robots that perform completely different processes. Hardly in modern realities you can imagine an employee who has all the necessary skills and is willing to work around the clock for 12.5 thousand rubles a month, including taxes and social contributions, ”Sergey Yudovsky quotes the calculations.
You will have to shell out a larger amount for setting up the system, but the payback period is several months, especially if we are talking about a large process that employs dozens of full-time employees.
Considering that harvesters now receive hundreds of thousands of rubles a season, and machine operators are looking for in neighboring regions, soon all agricultural holdings will realize the benefits of automation, experts say. None of them are used to and will not work for 12.5 thousand, and certainly will not work 24/7, as robotic equipment for sowing and harvesting, as well as drones for crop control do.
Today, in the world, one farmer provides on average 155 people with products, and as digital technologies in agriculture develop, this figure will grow to 255.
…and losers
The losers, as always, are ordinary villagers. Moreover, their education may not save them from unemployment. Robots are replacing milkmaids, and new technology requires fewer mechanics, but no one knows exactly how many of them lost their jobs, because there are no specific data on the structure of employment in agriculture in statistics. We only know that jobs are lost very quickly. “In general, in 2015 in Russia, according to the All-Russian Agricultural Census, there were about 1 million workers (0.8 million permanent workers) employed in agricultural production in large and medium-sized agricultural organizations. For comparison, in 2006 there were 2.3 million of them, that is, the number of employees of agricultural enterprises decreased by 2.3 times, including as a result of certain mechanization and automation processes,” Stepan Zemtsov from the RANEPA gives an example.
According to him, 58% of people employed in the agro-industrial complex can be replaced by robots. Since the automation of production is most likely in large agricultural enterprises, in which no more than 0.8 million people are permanently employed, then in the future, by 2030, about 460 thousand people will lose their jobs. But the majority of rural residents do not work without it, not only in the agro-industrial complex, but even just in the countryside.
“Now in Russia there are about 16.2 million rural residents of working age, of which 14.8 million people are employed, while no more than 4.2 million people are employed in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, that is, only 28.3% ", - Stepan Zemtsov quotes the data. In recent years, the employment of rural residents in agriculture has been declining very rapidly: back in 2006, more than 45% of them worked in the agro-industrial complex. For this reason alone, the majority of rural residents do not care about the automation processes in agriculture - they simply do not concern them.
Given the strong technological backlog of the Russian agro-industrial complex, highly qualified specialists with a strong higher education will feel best. “Inevitably, there will be further polarization of the salaries of such specialists, but more for economic than technological reasons,” predicts Ilya Kuzminov. — Modern successful agricultural holdings require talented, outstanding in their personal qualities specialists for almost any money, and there are very few such specialists.
As a result, mediocre specialists with higher agricultural education will work at not very successful agricultural enterprises, often receiving no more than low-skilled workers at the same enterprises, he believes. The only award for higher education for them there will be liberation from the need for heavy physical labor.
Currently, there is no need to talk about the strong impact of automation on the number of jobs - there are fewer and fewer jobs without robots. “The parallelism of the processes of technological modernization and the outflow of the population from the village should not be misleading: there may not be a causal relationship between them. The rural population will leave for the cities despite the appearance in countryside new jobs. The scenario of forced migration from the countryside due to the automation of jobs in agriculture is extremely unlikely. Moreover, according to statistics, agricultural activity has not been the main source of employment for the rural population for a long time, ”concludes Ilya Kuzminov.
Made the following chart:
Author's text for this data:
The presented table was collected from many sources - including from the collections "RSFSR for 50 years" (an assessment of the dynamics of agricultural production until 1940, the share of those employed in agriculture in 1940), "The National Economy of the RSFSR in 1987" (the dynamics of agricultural production in 1940 - 85), "National Economy of the RSFSR in 1990" (dynamics of agricultural production in the second half of the 80s), "Russian Statistical Yearbook 1994" (number of people employed in agriculture in 1970 - 1990) , data from the official website of Rosstat on the dynamics of agricultural production in 1990 - 2012, the recently published collection "Economic activity of the population of Russia (according to the results of sample studies). 2012" (employment dynamics in 2003 - 2012).
The estimate of the number of people employed in agriculture in 1913 was given by me on the basis of the share of employed in the population, similar to 1940 (40.5%), and the share of agriculture in the total number of employed at the level of 75%. It is possible that the real number of people employed in agriculture in 1913 was lower, in which case it is necessary to lower the estimate of productivity dynamics for the new century of Russian history.
To ensure comparability of data, the number of employed persons is also included in the industries "Fishing and fish farming", "Forestry".
Main conclusions:
1. The dynamics of labor productivity in agriculture over the past 100 years has been clearly unsatisfactory. Until the middle of the century, it was held back by the consequences of military and civil upheavals (1914-1921), the costs of collectivization (1929-1933) and the Great Patriotic War. Relatively quickly (by 7% per year) labor productivity increased in 1951 - 1970, after which the stagnation of the 70s set in (productivity growth over the decade was less than 4%). In the 1980s, the situation improved somewhat; productivity in agriculture for 1981-1989 increased. increased by a third, but since 1990 another decline began. In general, for 1914 - 1990. the average annual growth of labor productivity in agriculture amounted to 3%.
2. In 1990 - 1998 labor productivity in agriculture decreased by more than a third, but since 1999 it began to recover quite quickly, reaching the level of 1989 in 2006. In general, for 1991-2012. the average annual productivity growth was 2.2%.
3. Nevertheless, both the Soviet and Russian rates of growth in labor productivity in agriculture are inferior to the integral indicators of the countries of the "Golden Billion", although they are better than the global dynamics. The number of people employed in agriculture in Russia is excessive and by 2030 should be reduced to no more than 3 million people.
My additions and comments to these data:
The estimate of the number of people employed in agriculture in 1913 does not seem correct to me. The number of employed cannot coincide with the number of peasant farms themselves - it must inevitably be at least twice as large and the desired figure will be in the range from 54 million to 150 million, i.e. to the size of the entire then rural population of Russia. It is simply impossible to establish the exact figure due to the pre-industrial type of agriculture before the revolution. It also seems to me incorrect to include in this number people employed in the fishing and forestry sector in Russia.
As for the figure of the decrease in people employed in agriculture from 10 million people in 1990 to 5.2 million in 2012, which is so pleasing to the hearts and minds of liberals and putirasts, I will first draw their attention to the decline since 1990 in the volume of all manufactured agricultural products. It fell by 1/3 relative to 1990. You can get acquainted with these figures in more detail. In my opinion, only idiots can rejoice at a 50% decrease in the number of employees with a 33% decrease in output. So they are happy about it and even proud of it.
I also draw attention to the fact that the number and proportion of rural residents in the Russian Federation has not changed since 1990, which means that in this situation we have about 5 million completely extra people of working age from rural areas, who are also not really needed in the city, where, as a result of the rule of the liberals, millions of unemployed have formed and there are millions of guest workers with whom they are forced to competition for jobs our compatriots.
Now a little about the reasons for the reduction in the number of people employed in agriculture in the Russian Federation. The main reason is the destruction of dairy and beef cattle breeding in Russia over these 20 years. To verify this, just look again at this plate:
What is the difference between animal husbandry and grain growing? The fact that livestock farming requires many more people than grain farming. Grains were sown in the spring - removed in the summer. Then sleep and rest. With animal husbandry, everything is much more complicated and laborious. Need employment all year round. Field farmers, milkmaids, veterinarians, livestock specialists are needed. We need a huge production of green fodder for dairy farming, and for this, again, people are needed. Feed grain is also needed - about 2/3 of all needs.
Thus, having killed their animal husbandry, the liberals left millions of Russians without work, destroyed the food security and independence of Russia, reduced
The census takers did not count domestic animals and farmers themselves. Photo by RIA Novosti
Over the past decade, the number of people working in agriculture has decreased in Russia. The number of farms during this time has almost halved. These are the results of the latest agricultural census-2016, which Rosstat reported yesterday. Even more surprising are the census data on agricultural land. Over the past 10 years, almost 20 million hectares have been “lost” somewhere.
As the results of the agricultural census show, over the past 10 years in the Russian Federation, the number of almost all types of agricultural organizations has noticeably decreased. Today in Russia there are about 36 thousand agricultural holdings. At the same time, almost every fourth of them does not conduct agricultural activities. Ten years ago, there were about 60,000 large agricultural organizations in the country, but a third of them were not actually engaged in agriculture.
The number of peasant farms (peasant farms) decreased even more noticeably over the same period. In 2016, their number was estimated at 136 thousand. In 2006, there were much more of them - over 253 thousand. True, if 10 years ago, in fact, half of all peasant farms did not carry out agricultural activities, but today only one in three.
During the same period in the Russian Federation, the number of individual entrepreneurs employed in the agro-industrial complex (AIC) slightly increased. If 10 years ago there were 32,000 of them, today there are over 38,000. The picture is similar with personal farms(LPH) citizens. According to the results of the 2016 census, their number increased to 23.5 million, while 10 years ago it was about 22.8 million.
Over the past 10 years, not only the number of agricultural organizations has decreased, but also the number of workers employed in the agro-industrial complex. If in 2006 about 2.5 million people worked in agricultural holdings, then in 2016 there were only 1.2 million people. The situation is similar in KFH. 10 years ago, all farms employed 470 thousand workers, today - less than 300 thousand people.
In addition, over the past 10 years, a major reorientation has taken place in the Russian livestock industry. Today, the domestic agro-industrial complex seems to be more interested in the production of a fast and not too expensive product. In particular, as follows from the census data, over the past years, the number of cattle has decreased by 18% in farms of all categories. In total, today there are about 19 million head of cattle in the country, while in 2006 there were more than 23.5 million. Of the 19 million, less than 8 million are dairy cows. Note that 10 years ago the number of dairy cows was 9.5 million. With such a reduction, it is not very clear how Alexander Tkachev's department hopes to make up for the milk shortage (see).
For comparison, over the same period, the number of sheep and goats increased by 21%, to 27 million. The main contribution to the increase in production was made by farms, follows from the census data. Much more significant was the increase in the production of pigs and poultry. For 10 years, agricultural holdings have actually doubled poultry production (from 244 million to 434 million). More than doubled in these categories of farms and the number of pigs - from 7.9 million in 2006 to 19 million in 2016. As a result, today up to 78% of poultry produced in the country and 80% of pigs are grown in large agricultural holdings.
“It seems that Rosstat has moved closer to the truth,” Dmitry Rylko, director general of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, comments on the results of the census to NG. Nevertheless, there is still some discrepancy in the data of Rosstat. For example, Rylko draws attention to the fact that the census data on the volume of potato sown areas do not coincide with the official data of Rosstat. “Approximately the same, but on a smaller scale - in terms of the number of cows: in private household plots, according to the census, they are less than official data by about 270 thousand heads,” the expert points out.
Indeed, Rosstat and agricultural census data often do not match. If, according to the results of the census, there are 19.3 million heads of cattle in the country, then according to the official data of Rosstat, it is 18.7 million. The picture is similar in other categories of animal husbandry.
On the whole, NG experts note, the census has shown that significant structural changes have taken place in agriculture over the past 10 years. “And the first thing that catches your eye is the reduction of farms, their number in comparison with 2006. This suggests that there is a process of consolidation, concentration of agricultural production in the hands of stronger economic entities,” admits Professor of the Russian University of Economics. Plekhanov Ruslan Abramov.
“Roughly speaking, the number of farmers, regardless of the scale of their activities in Russia, almost halved from 2006 to 2016,” says Sergey Zvenigorodsky, director of network development at Solid Management. And the rapid reduction of peasant farming cannot but cause concern. “The number of peasant farms depends on the level of lending rates in banks, on the ability to freely sell their products at market prices, from tax policy, from the cost of servicing agricultural machinery. Statistics show that farmers still feel uncomfortable,” the economist emphasizes.
Experts are also alarmed by the census data on the use of agricultural land. As follows from the results, today the country has over 142 million hectares of agricultural land of all categories. At the same time, 10 years ago there were almost 166 million hectares. However, they notice in Rosstat, during this time the area of unused agricultural land has decreased. According to the results of the 2016 agricultural census, its area does not exceed 17.3 million hectares, while in 2006 it was 40.5 million hectares.
Remarkably, the sown area of agricultural crops even increased over the same period. If even 10 years ago the area sown for all categories of farms and crops was about 74.8 million hectares, today it is a little less than 80 million. First of all, farms have “grown” with land.
However, in comparison with a more distant period, it turns out that the area of sown land in the country has noticeably decreased. In 1990, the total area under cultivation was 117 million hectares.
“The agricultural census covers all agricultural producers. In theory, it shows how 222 million hectares of agricultural land in the country are used. And the first conclusion is alarming: in 2006, 165 million hectares of land were assigned to agricultural producers, and in 2016 - 20 million hectares less. At the same time, agricultural organizations abandoned 42 million hectares. Half of this land went to farmers, and the rest? The census does not reveal where this huge area has gone, ”said Vasily Uzun, chief researcher at the Center for Agricultural Policy of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. “True, there is also an encouraging conclusion: the used area of agricultural land in 2016 remained approximately the same as in 2006 - 125 million hectares. But the fact that this area is only 56% of the total agricultural area is upsetting. For the authorities, this result sounds like a verdict,” the expert concludes.
In general, it is virtually impossible to understand which agricultural areas are not used today for one reason or another. There is no single rating. According to experts, up to 50-60 million hectares can be abandoned in the country.
