The meeting focused on a discussion of measures to develop the agricultural sector under the conditions of Russia’s WTO accession and its participation in the Customs Union.
In his speech, Mr Fyodorov summed up the results of the agricultural sector development in 2012 and outlined key tasks for 2013. The state programme for development of the agricultural sector for 2013-2020 is the main tool for its adaptation to the WTO requirements, the Minister of Agriculture said. The programme is based on the commodity principle, from the field to the shop. Particular attention is focused on products processing and regulating trade regimes on agricultural markets, he emphasised.
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have made major joint efforts in establishing the Customs Union, Mr Fyodorov said. The common customs tariff and the Customs Code have been in effect since 2010. The parties reached an agreement on the unification of veterinary and phytosanitary technical regulations, documents and procedures. A decision has been made to develop unified technical regulations for agricultural products to be valid on all Customs Union territory. State supervision procedures have been simplified, and permitting documents have been unified, with a reduction in their number. The parties signed the Agreement on Unified Rules of State Support for the Agricultural Sector – in particular, the decision on a 10% maximum level of support for the measures of trade-distorting effects.
Currently, a concept is being developed for a coordinated agrarian policy of the Customs Union member states and the common economic space. The concept will include key provisions of common agricultural market development.
According to Mr Fyodorov, a number of normative regulations have already been adopted on tax concessions for agricultural manufacturers and on extending the legal status for peasant farms. The federal law On Plant Quarantine is being prepared for its second reading in the State Duma. Amendments will be considered for the federal law On Agricultural Development, regarding determining the regions with conditions unfavourable for agricultural activities. The Government has approved the draft law On Amateur Fishing developed by the ministry, with amendments introduced to the federal laws On Fishing and the Preservation of Water Bioresources, regarding open trade of bioresources, and On Peasant (Private) Farms, regarding farms’ registration. The draft federal laws on veterinary and genetic plant resources, and toughening responsibility in land-use, have been introduced to the State Duma. A number of important draft laws for the sector, such as draft laws on seed farming, stock breeding and organic product manufacturing, as well as amendments being introduced to the federal law On Agricultural Development, are being currently coordinated at the interdepartmental level.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture
