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The Minister of agrarian policy and food of Crimea N. Polyushkin : “In Russia the agriculture of the Peninsula open enormous opportunities”

21/07/2020

How to reduce the threat to crops of the Crimea from the termination of the water supply to the Peninsula via the North Crimean channel, what areas of agriculture the country intends to develop in the first place and how much it needs funds, told the correspondent of “Interfax” Dmitry Jackomo the Minister of agrarian policy and food of Crimea Nikolay Polyushkin.

– Nikolay Petrovich, let’s begin with the most pressing issues: Ukraine virtually stopped the supply of the Dnieper water in the Crimea in the North-Crimean channel. How will it affect agriculture, harvest?

– The problem really is. We “fall” out of production a number of crops. “Drop out” all the rice is about 15 thousand hectares and about 100 thousand tons of grain per year. “Fall out” 100% corn grain – it is also about 10 thousand hectares and about 80 thousand tons of harvest. Totally “get” soy is 50-60 thousand tons of harvest per year.

40 percent “fall out” potatoes and vegetables, 30 percent fruits and grapes.

The big problem is that water from the North Crimean channel used personal farm – grown on small plots of land vegetables, potatoes, fruit. Off the water can seriously damage him.

– Rice, corn and other annual crops at risk have already been sown?

– Rice and corn for grain not yet sown – the optimal time for these crops comes only now.

– Most of the water flowing in the North-Crimean channel is just for watering the rice…

– Only in the Crimea on the channel for irrigation has received about 700 million cubic meters of water per year. Of these, 449 million cubic meters is for irrigation of rice (15 thousand hectares). And the remaining 125 thousand hectares, irrigated by water from the canal, only 200 million cubic meters.

If you refuse to rice, the volume of water, which we lack, will be much less.

– But it is possible to give up rice?

– The issue of food security here is almost not worth it. The Kuban produces over a million tons of rice a year. Bring him here – no problem.

This problem can be only with the employment of the population, the economy of highly specialized rice growing farms.

– Than to occupy the field, where early planted rice?

– You can sow sorghum for grain, sorghum for grain, forage crops. The opportunity is still there, time permits.

Worse it will have fruit and vegetable producers, which depend on the channel. Modern gardens planted according to intensive technology – boarding, compacted, and without irrigation the apples are ( shows tip of your finger – if ) this size at best.

Though there is a “fruit” which areas of the channel are independent. There’s irrigation comes from local reservoirs, and there is no threat to harvest from water shortage. It’s Bakhchisaraysky district Belogorsky, part of Simferopol district, the southern coast of Crimea.

So the “Massandra” (Crimea’s largest wine producer, whose vineyards are located on the southern shore of the Peninsula – if) will work fine.

– There is an idea to use to compensate water shortage of underground water for a bore hole of the…

– We need a volume of hundred million cubic meters – well completely will not solve the problem. But now is the inventory of artesian wells, the possibility to use them for irrigation. There is a draft transfer to the Crimea of the water of the Kuban river, he was wrong, but so far only theoretically.

– As reflected in the Crimean gardens, a strong cold snap in late March and early April?

– Affected very seriously. Because of the cold weather we can receive about 30% of the fruit harvest. It was not even freezing, but very cold – the temperature dropped to minus 10 degrees. As a result of loss of ovaries apricot – almost 90%.

Peach, plum and other stone fruit crops – from 65% to 80%. Inland areas suffered even pome – apples and pears. Loss of the ovaries reach 30%.

And that’s not all problems. In recent years, we have an abnormal drought, the yield of early grain crops has been reduced to 10 quintals per hectare, although in the past the average yield was 25-26 quintals.

So the problem is not only with the Dnieper water, but that which falls from the sky. Already passed in March and half of April, but the good rains have not yet been. I have 40 years working as an agronomist, but never with such did not face.

The precipitation deficit is unprecedented – we have less doubt that this is the result of global warming.

– Change of agriculture of the Crimea after joining Russia? What are you going to bet?

– Our priorities remain the same. For Crimea, given its geographical position and climate (high solar activity, large number of Sunny days, long frost-free period), the priority should be the horticulture and viticulture. Plus the growing of aromatic crops in the Crimea has unique natural conditions.

And although it is an essential oil industry is not in the best condition, we plan to restore it to the same extent, which was in the early 1990-ies.

Another of our priority is an egg poultry farming and dairy farming. We have a shortage of milk: 94% milk Crimean – are the products of private farms. Now this problem is solved, unfolding a large cattle-breeding complexes. Meat poultry our situation is normal: 83-84% of consumption in Crimea, the meat is poultry meat, which is made on the spot.

Among the priorities is the pig, given that the Crimea is able to produce more than a million tons of grain and part of this amount may be used for feeds.

So, this niche is not filled, we are waiting for investors.

– Are you ready to offer investors specific projects?

– Of course. We prepared seven investment projects – they concern, first and foremost, the creation of enterprises for processing of vegetables and fruits. There are also projects of reconstruction and capital repair of Breweries, dairies, mjasopererabatyvajushchih enterprises.

The investment capacity of the agricultural sector of the Crimea – about 5-6 billion over the next 2-3 years.

– There is interest from the Russian business?

– Yes, there have been numerous proposals in the Ministry and leadership of the Council of Ministers of Crimea. Now in the transition period it is possible to speak only of intent, but negotiations have been ongoing. For example, the Moscow company approached us with a proposal to raise nut culture.

The implementation of these proposals now brake problems in the financial sector: offices of Ukrainian banks in Crimea ceased to operate, is seriously hampered. In addition there are problems with the tax system – from the reprogramming of cash registers and ending with the actual relationship with the tax authorities: what to whom and where to pay.

But a number of issues in the agricultural sector, is solved very quickly. All enterprises of the Crimea, which produced the excisable products received a Russian license in one week. According to the Ukrainian standards to obtain such a license would require serious losses of time and money – would have to spend about six months.

– Managed to feel the difference between the state policy of the Russian Federation and Ukraine in the field of agriculture?

– Of course. The last three years the agricultural sector of the Crimea worked actually without subsidies. A whole slew of government programs to support farmers, but in the last three years they have stalled.

The amount of aid included in the state budget, but to the Crimean farmers, the money never came. On January 1, payable to the state of the Crimean farmers amounted to approximately 119 million or 453 million rubles.

We have an agreement with the Ministry of agriculture of Russia that the debt of the Crimean farmers will pay the Russian side of the Federal budget. We have already provided to the Ministry all the necessary calculations.

– What was supposed to be money that the Crimea is not received from Ukraine?

– This, in particular compensation of costs for the development of horticulture and viticulture. Many Crimean enterprises participated in this program, she worked until 2011, the compensation amounted to 70% of the costs. In 2012, the program continued to operate, but the compensation stopped, and we immediately dropped the volume of planting new orchards and vineyards. And agronomic requirements we need an annual pledge at least a thousand hectares of vineyards and 500 hectares of gardens is only to offset the uprooting of old and unproductive orchards and vineyards.

Now this balance is not respected.

Not funded, another very important program – compensation of the cost of electricity used for the Dnieper water supply to irrigated lands. Programs for livestock development, for the development of the processing sector is also not funded. Did not work program of livestock development, focused on private households, and as soon as she stopped we noticed that the number of young cattle at once began to decline.

– How much money does agriculture of the Crimea this year, to successfully develop?

– We have prepared and sent to the Ministry of agriculture of the Russian Federation budget proposal of 1 billion 174 million rubles – that’s not counting the compensation payable.

We still have time to take in this year’s participation in the Russian programs of financial support of agricultural producers. The task that confronts us Mr Fyodorov (Fedorov, Minister of agriculture of Russia – if), is very simple: to have time this year to maximally engage in the development of agriculture of the Crimea of financial resources in the Russian Federation.

– What program of development of agriculture will be prepared in the first place?

– We’ll start with horticulture and viticulture, dairy farming, beef farming, sheep farming. There are programs that relate to technical re-equipment, there are direct subsidies per hectare of sown area. We are currently exploring new and great opportunities that are open to agriculture of the Crimea as part of Russia, and very much count on them.

Three years without subsidies seriously affected the agriculture of the Crimea – so we are now every penny helps.

– By the way, the experts called sheep breeding is one of the most promising sectors of agriculture of the Crimea…

– The potential for development of sheep breeding in the Crimea is huge. We have more than 473 thousand hectares of natural hayfields and pastures. In Soviet times, Crimea was more than 3 million sheep. Now – 10 times less, and about 98% of sheep are in private farms, in the yards.

The population is engaged in extensive sheep farming on a primitive scheme for grazing nobody pays, the sheep graze all year round, it prevents pastures to recover. Plus the lack of rain, which I already said.

In order to effectively establish sheep-breeding, it is necessary to improve the quality of pastures, sow grass. When the Soviet Union was successfully done, it is possible to repeat.

– Business unit of a large Ukrainian agricultural companies are ready to continue work in the Crimea or will withdraw from the region after Ukrainian banks?

– It is in the standby mode. Studying the requirements of the Russian land legislation, tax legislation. I think sensible companies makes no sense to leave – have the opportunity to re-register and work, as well as work of foreign agricultural firms in other regions of Russia.

– Selling agricultural land in Ukraine were banned in Russia to sell the land. How will the transition to the Russian land legislation on the situation in agriculture of the Crimea?

– Agricultural land is mainly divided into shares, people have at the hands of state acts certifying the right of private ownership of land. Of course, many will sell their plots – someone needs money for the education of children who are on treatment. We treat this with caution, because it can break the established patterns of work in many farms.

But there are advantages: we expect that the transition to Russian standards will be removed from the Crimea pseudo-tenants: rental companies serious area of land, in the hope that Ukraine will cancel the moratorium on land sales and the area can get their hands on.

They seem to be acted according to the law: suggested high rents and the people gave them their land shares in lease. We have one company, which is thus concentrated in three districts land Bank total area of 45 thousand hectares: the area is the whole area. And this whole earth for two years is not processed!

To us now it is important to go to the Russian legislation and on the basis of norms of the Russian legislation, these tenants out of here, “smoke”, to expel, to in their place came the normal people and began to cultivate the land, to give Crimeans jobs.

– That will make companies that supplied their products to Ukraine?

– While they continue to work under the old scheme. From the Crimea to Ukraine now is radishes, cucumbers, protected ground. But the flow was two – way- about 30% of agricultural products consumed by the Crimea, imported from Ukraine. For example, norms of consumption, the Crimea need to produce at least 800 thousand tons of milk a year. And we produce 300 thousand.

The difference was imported from Ukraine. Vegetable oil we do not produce sugar beet is not grown – vegetable oil and sugar were brought from Ukraine.

– How about now? Because of duties for Ukrainian products will become more expensive.

– No problem: in the Kuban and sugar in excess, and sunflower oil, and dairy products.

– A Crimean fruit? To whom they will sell?

– So far we have more than 60% of the fruit went to Ukraine. But given the quality of the Crimean fruit, I have no doubt they will be in demand in Russia.

The quality is the same of apples, we are overtaken Hungary, Poland or Germany. This is a consequence of the Crimean climate and geographical location. To grow in Poland, the Apple of this kind and size, it needs 15-20 times treated with plant protection products, and we need only 7-8 treatments.

Crimean manufacturers have already begun the search for new markets in Russia, this process is actively.

– As is the situation with provision of Crimean agrarians appliances?

– Almost all branches of Ukrainian and Western companies have turned work in the Crimea, but the market, like nature, abhors a vacuum – in their place have come about 15 Russian companies. Is and JSC “Rostselmash”, LLC “Bizon”, and OOO “bars”, and many others. Open their representative offices. Work of JSC “Rosagroleasing”. Already received the first consignment of equipment – 9 tractors Elabuga.

Next week is expected the first machines. The program “Rosagroleasing” this year has already claimed 168 combines, 92 – grain.

In General, the combine harvester is our main problem in terms of technical equipment. Crimea attracts for grain harvesting about 700 harvesters from Ukraine. Its technology is short. The fact that Ukraine in 2002 was purchased by the United States provided money, about 2.5 thousand of combine harvesters, but none of them in the Crimea were not included. For political reasons they all settled in the Ukraine.

Us is, in principle, arranged – Crimea started harvesting the first among the regions of Ukraine, we have attracted the harvesters “from the mainland”. Pay for them with money or grain, and then combines after the harvest moved to the North of the country.

Now from the Ukrainian state-owned companies remained the 142 processor. They most likely will become the property of the Crimea. Plus 92 combine can provide the leasing company.

The problem, as you can see, remains, but the path to solution is clear.

– What is the role of the Crimea and its port infrastructure will play in the export of Russian grain?

– This is one of the most important prospects, which opened before with Crimea joining Russia. The port of Novorossiysk, as you know, overloaded, and there are good ports in Kerch, Sevastopol, Yalta. Port infrastructure is somewhat dated, but the issues are solved.

Actually the Crimean grain production volumes are insignificant – given the domestic consumption, exports will remain 250-300, a maximum of 400 thousand tons in good years.

– In Russia there are programmes to support farmers, whether they operate in the Crimea?

– We are looking forward to it. Farms now produce no more than 7% of the total Crimean agricultural products. They mainly focused on the cultivation of early grain.

Ukraine actually did not support farmers in the Crimea – the entire region has been allocated, in terms of rubles, about half a million a year.

– In Russia 1.5 million rubles – the maximum grant amount for the support of one of the farm…

– Here, draw your own conclusions. Of course, we plan to rely on the Russian program of support of farmers, private households to develop small businesses in rural areas and thus stimulate the development of rural areas.

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