The agenda: the digital transformation of the agro-industrial and fisheries sectors, facilitating more cost-effective land reclamation projects and the Strategy for the Development of the Communications Industry.
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks
Excerpts from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin: Good morning, colleagues.
As instructed by the President, the Government will continue to address the digitalisation and digital transformation of the agro-industrial and fisheries sectors up to 2030. The President noted that AI technologies have already made it possible to expand agricultural production volumes.
We also expect that the introduction of these approaches will reduce the time taken to provide government services, and most importantly, this will help to eliminate excessive paperwork.
Entrepreneurs will be able to use state-of-the-art technologies to boost crop yields, streamline their expenses and establish cost-effective channels for the sale of produce. They will also obtain some other competitive advantages for the agricultural sector which, when developed, will help improve the quality and range of food.
To accomplish these objectives, we are updating strategic long-term guidelines in the field of digital transformation. We have drafted a government directive augmenting the road map of specific agro-industrial projects.
For example, the document stipulates various spheres for using new technologies, including AI. Promising applications include the development of automatic irrigation and sprinkling systems. Other projects include affordable remote-controlled farming machinery, collecting satellite data on the state of soils or the volume of biological water resources, as well as an impressive array of other new technologies and innovative solutions that our agricultural producers require.
We will also continue to stimulate demand for domestic technological solutions. From 2024, we will establish an integrated digital platform to provide information on the situation in the agro-industrial and fisheries sectors; this is important for national food security. Consequently, databases should rely on Russian software and use as many Russian components as possible.
A sum of over three billion roubles has been allocated in the 2024 budget for the implementation of new and planned projects regarding the digital transformation of the agro-industrial sector.
I am asking all specialised agencies to address this issue very attentively. If necessary, they should update regulatory documents on time, with due consideration for tasks set by the President and the results of the Government’s current strategic sessions (we have discussed this for quite a while).
Another issue is developing measures that will help improve the efficiency of land reclamation. These measures should bring our agro-industry to a faster growth rate. This goal was set by the President. He emphasised that it requires, among other things, a significant increase in the scope of land reclamation projects and preparing more land for agricultural use.
To assist the regions in these areas, we will adjust the parameters for granting subsidies for land reclamation. Allocations for these purposes will total more than 8.5 billion roubles this year.
Scientific and education institutions that are engaged in, among other things, breeding and seed production will now be able to apply for funding. Six centres are ready to participate in such programmes. They specialise in oilseed, soybeans, sugar beet and cereals and other things. This will improve crop parameters to meet the demands of our agrarians and will contribute to ensuring food security.
Another innovation concerns agroforestry and phyto-melioration. We are talking, among other things, about combating soil erosion and drought, creating protective forest plantations, and improving the fertility of agricultural land. We are increasing the level of support for such measures from 50 to 90 percent through federal funding. I am sure that this will be an incentive to developing measures to combat desertification and to motivate the regions to pay more attention to these projects.
It will also be possible to receive partial reimbursement of funds for the development of design and estimate documentation.
A number of other measures are also envisaged. All of them must be implemented in full and on time.
And one more decision has been taken. Under the President’s instructions, the Government has prepared and approved a Strategy for the development of the communications industry over the next 12 years. The signed document creates conditions for building a modern and secure information infrastructure and for introducing innovative solutions and technologies.
We discussed all these issues in detail at the strategic sessions in June and November. We have specified all the goals and objectives.
We are talking about people's access to quality communications services and data transmission regardless of where they live. By the end of this decade, we need to provide all households with the opportunity to connect to the internet at a speed of at least 1 Gbit/s.
We will also begin a phased launch of promising mobile networks. Base stations with 5G standards should be built in all cities with 100,000 people or more. Only domestic equipment will be used for this.
The necessary funding for strategy implementation will be taken into account in preparing the Data Economy national project.
Mr Chernyshenko, please tell us about the results that are planned to be achieved under the adopted document.
Dmitry Chernyshenko: Thank you, Mr Mishustin, colleagues.
Based on President Vladimir Putin’s instructions, we have drafted the Communications Sector Development Strategy for the period until 2035 jointly with the sector’s top-level experts, leading companies, communications providers, and industry associations. The preparatory process involved about 300 people.
The strategy’s main goals are the following:
First, to provide high-quality communications and internet access to everyone in this country, all businesses and Russian industry.
Second, to build the information infrastructure with Russian systems and equipment and to provide the sector with skilled personnel.
Achieving these goals will ensure Russia’s technological sovereignty and national control over the communications systems. As is clear, this is of paramount importance for Russia in the current geopolitical situation.
Implementing the strategy’s initiatives will yield specific, tangible results. Let me name the main ones.
Connecting 98 percent of households to the internet at a speed of at least 1 Gbit/s based on protected communications infrastructure.
Mobile internet will average no less than 125 Mbit/s, with 5G coverage extended to areas that include over 60 percent of the population.
The state satellite system in geostationary orbit will be upgraded; 19 satellites have been built and launched into orbit.
Backbone communications line traffic capacity for trans-border data transmission will be increased by 350 percent over 2022.
Fixed-line telephone service will be more reliable.
As a result, the sector’s technological sovereignty level will rise dramatically. People will benefit from convenient, secure and prompt communications available anywhere in the country.
National projects, state programmes and state initiatives will be amended based on this strategy as soon as it is approved.
The Data Economy project will certainly be synchronised with the provisions contained in the approved document. The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media will draw up a plan to implement the strategy before 1 March 2024. The Government will monitor the measures on a permanent basis to ensure that these results are achieved in full. We will keep you informed, Mr Mishustin.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you, Mr Chernyshenko. This plan for the strategy’s goals should be completed within three months. Also very important: favourable investment conditions have to be created for the companies operating in the sector to provide people and businesses with high-quality communications services.
