16 января 2024 — 12:00
Quotas for the import of seeds of certain types of crops from unfriendly countries to the Russian Federation may be introduced from February 1 to December 31, 2024, Interfax reports, citing a statement from the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development.
The proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture on a temporary quantitative restriction on the import of certain types of agricultural seeds was supported by the subcommittee on customs tariff and non-tariff regulation, protective measures in foreign trade (December 2023).
According to the press service, it is planned to establish from February 1 to December 31, 2024, inclusive, the volume of quantitative restrictions on the import of certain types of seeds from unfriendly countries into the Russian Federation. The specific parameters of the planned restrictions will be determined by a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, which is being developed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
As previously reported, the Ministry of Agriculture proposed to introduce quotas from January 23, 2024. This was provided for by the draft government decree.
According to the document, the quota for the import of potato seeds was proposed to be set at 16 thousand tons, barley - 0.6 thousand tons, corn - 5 thousand tons, including waxy - 0.6 thousand tons, rapeseed (hybrids) - 2 thousand tons, sunflower (hybrids) - 7.5 thousand tons, sugar beet (hybrids) - 2 thousand tons. The quota for wheat, rye, soybeans is zero.
In June of this year, the Government of the Russian Federation approved a list of agricultural seeds for which quantitative import restrictions may be imposed. It includes seeds of potatoes, wheat, rye, barley, corn, soybeans, rapeseed, sunflower and sugar beet.
The Ministry of Agriculture has been instructed to set the quota sizes and rules for their distribution.
As stated by the Ministry of Agriculture, quotas are aimed at accelerating import substitution in such a fundamental segment of agriculture as seed production. "Decisions will be based on the results of harvesting and formation of the seed fund, assessment of the needs of the domestic market for seeds for each specific crop," the agency explained earlier. "It is planned to flexibly regulate the volume of imported seeds and gradually reduce the volume of quotas over three years as domestic production increases."