Russian-farmland.com
Support of agricultural business for foreignersWhat do Farmers Grow in Russia?
According to the latest estimates, up to 48% of agricultural products in the country are provided by personal subsidiary farms as well as peasant farms. In many ways, this is facilitated by the development of this area and its support provided by the Ministry of Agriculture. The state has offered tax benefits to peasant farms (Special Tax Treatment with the rate of 6% and the abolition of some other taxes) as well as comfortable conditions for the development of cooperatives. Grown products are distributed not only on the domestic market, but they are also exported.
What Crops are Grown by Peasant Farms in Russia?
The demand for organic vegetables and fruits is constantly growing. In Russia, people prefer to buy local products because the majority is convinced that these products were grown without the use of chemicals. Therefore, such vegetables can be safely consumed. Peasant farms respond to such demand by growing the following products:
- strawberries, watermelons, and other berries;
- mushrooms, bunch onion, and radish;
- eggplants, garlic, cabbage and cucumbers;
- pepper, tomatoes, and all sorts of greens;
- soybeans, sugar beets, and even tobacco;
- potatoes, apples, grapes and corn;
- wheat, barley, and other crops.
However, in this area, there are still many gaps which are being rapidly filled by investors, including the foreign ones. And if you analyze the numbers, it will be clear in which areas of the agricultural sector there is a shortage of supply.
How Many Different Crops are Grown in Russia?
The top types of crops in terms of the levels of production in our country are wheat, sunflowers, fodder grass, and barley. In numerical terms, there is the following picture:
- 1. Wheat occupies the first place. The area of its plantations is approximately 252.8 thousand hectares.
- 2. Next comes the sunflower with an area of approximately 152 thousand hectares.
- 3. In terms of production volumes, fodder grasses come next, with 148,600 hectares.
- 4. And the last crop among the top four leaders is barley with its area of 87 thousand hectares.
The last two types are very popular as they are used as fodder. They are utilized to feed livestock on the peasant farms engaged in poultry or animal breeding.
Soybeans and sugar beets are the last products in the top ten most popular crops in Russia. They are planted on the areas of 12,000 and 21,000 hectares respectively. Beets are used to produce sugar, and the part of the products is exported. Potatoes, which are the most popular products in the country, are positioned somewhere in the middle in terms of large-scale production. Approximately 24,000 hectares were allocated for this crop. However, it is difficult to calculate how much of this product is grown on household plots as well as on small farms.
Corn, oats, and rye are also in the middle positions. Fodder corn is planted on 21 thousand hectares, and maize occupies about 12 thousand hectares. Oats also belong to the crops used for feeding livestock. Apart from that, they are used to produce flour, cereals, and other products. About 34 thousand hectares are occupied by oats, and about 40 thousand hectares are allocated for rye.