Tatarstan Ministry of Agriculture and Food: Following the results of 2017, Tatarstan ranks third in the gross agricultural product among Russian regions

On January 9, speaking at the Government House of the republic at the regional video-conference held by Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov with participation of Prime Minister of the republic Aleksey Pesoshin, Minister of Agriculture and Food Marat Akhmetov reported that according to the results of 2017, the gross agricultural product of the region amounts to 260 billion roubles, which increased by 5.1 per cent, and Tatarstan ranks third among Russian regions.

According to the minister, the average monthly wage in the agricultural complex of the republic increased by 12 per cent and made 21,000 roubles over the past year.

Akhmetov reported that the grain harvest reached 5.2 million tonnes with a yield of 34.2 centners per hectare, for the first time in the history of beet sowing more than three million tonnes of roots with a yield of 409 centners per hectare were harvested in the republic over the last year.

In total, the comparable growth of the gross crop production reached 11 per cent and amounted to 140.4 billion roubles.

“Over the last years we were concerned about the fact that the purchase market prices for agricultural products had remained frozen, but the last year surprised most of all, especially by the price for the crop products.

The prices for grain, sugar beet, rape and sunflower were 30 per cent lower than in 2016,” the minister said.

The cost of pork and poultry decreased by five per cent, the cost of eggs – by 14 per cent, he added.

According to Akhmetov, the republic has enough opportunities to increase efficiency of agriculture and is focused on the most demanded (marginal) crops: rape, soy, sunflower.

Akhmetov focused on the issues of development of dairy husbandry and noted that it has always been the main production of Tatarstan agro-industrial complex.

“The agro-industrial complex of the republic is aimed at achieving such a level of efficiency as to provide a 10-12 per cent  increase of monthly wage and to keep current level of investments to technological modernization of agriculture,” the minister concluded.