RFPA President Andrey Guryev takes part in plenary session at national agricultural exhibition

The President of the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association (RFPA), Andrey Guryev, took part in the plenary session at the national agricultural exhibition All-Russian Field Day 2023.

The event was held 6–9 July at the Kazan Expo international exhibition centre. Representatives of the following sectors took part in the exhibition: crop farming, animal husbandry, processing, mineral fertilizer production, science, agricultural technologies, banking and agricultural machinery. Some 235 companies, more than 300 pieces of agricultural machinery and over 250 varieties of agricultural crops of domestic breeding were represented at the exhibition, which took place on an area covering 45 hectares.

Speakers at the event’s plenary session included the Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Patrushev; the head of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov; State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev; the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management, Alexander Dvoinykh; the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues, Vladimir Kashin; and other high-ranking representatives of government agencies, key companies and business associations operating in the agricultural sector.

In opening the event, Russia’s Agriculture Minister noted stable growth rates shown by Russian agribusiness, as evidenced by rising annual harvest volumes for staple crops.

“Last year was a record-setting year in a number of areas, with nearly every region establishing new highs. This isn’t just a fluke, but the result of comprehensive solutions that we have implemented together in recent years. In particular, we have worked hard to increase the amount of fertilizer applied per hectare of soil. This figure increased from 40 kg in 2018 to an average of 60 kg for the Russian Federation as a whole in 2022. And that is nowhere close to the limit. By 2025, we should reach an average of 80 kg per hectare,” said Minister Patrushev.

The Minister stressed that fertilizers were the most important component of crop growth, and he thanked the industry for taking measures to ensure that fertilizers were affordable for Russian farmers.

The head of the Republic of Tatarstan noted significant progress in the republic’s agricultural sector in recent years.

“Today, agribusiness in the republic is a state-of-the-art high-tech industry with excellent development potential. With 2% of the country’s farmland, we produce 3.8% of Russia’s agricultural output. We are paying particular attention to improving fertility. In 2018, we applied 52 kg of primary nutrient per hectare, and that figure will be 82 kg this year. And, of course, we are grateful to the Ministry: the price of fertilizers has remained at the same level as last year; this is outstanding support,” said Mr Minnikhanov.

RFPA President Andrey Guryev stressed that the interests of Russian agribusiness were a constant strategic priority for the mineral fertilizer industry.

“Last year, farmers purchased 60% more fertilizer (13.2 million tonnes) than in 2018. And 150% more than in 2013. Despite the fact that it is only the beginning of July, we have already covered more than 70% (nearly 4 million tonnes of primary nutrient) of the needs of our farmers for all of 2023. And, of course, we will 100% deliver the remaining volumes. The record harvests that Dmitry Nikolaevich Patrushev spoke about today are the result of a comprehensive state policy, and the fertilizer sector, as a key partner for agribusiness, certainly feels that it is involved in the major breakthrough that is taking place before our eyes in Russia’s agricultural sector,” said Mr Guryev.

The mineral fertilizer industry continues to invest in development, added the head of the RFPA. In the next 5–7 years, companies in the industry plan to invest more than RUB 2 trillion in the development of new capacities to meet the growing demand for high-quality products in Russian agribusiness, while maintaining their established positions in export markets.