Agenda: Remunerating instructors of those who won the Professionals championship and the hi-tech championship; purchasing agricultural machinery for leasing programmes; launching programmes to develop agricultural machinery and produce veterinary drugs.
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
From the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks
Mikhail Mishustin: Good morning, colleagues,
During last week’s Report to the State Duma, we discussed with the deputies how to strengthen the personnel potential of the key industries. This is one of important components of our effort to achieve technological sovereignty.
Russian businesses are actively upgrading and increasing their production capacities. There is no doubt that they will need skilled specialists, who can operate modern equipment effectively and possess skills in innovative areas, such as robot engineering, instrument making, information security, automated designing systems, and others.
To be up to rapidly changing requirements, young people must be ready to continuously upgrade their skills. The Government is creating the necessary conditions for this, including within the framework of the Professionals proficiency championship and the hi-tech championship, which have been held annually over the past three years. These platforms draw the more talented people from all over the country and provide opportunities for exchanging knowledge and useful skills. They also offer additional incentives for self-development and self-fulfillment. In this context, the efficiency of these events is highly dependent on experienced instructors and their role in training participants to pass all the stages in the contests.
Pursuant to the President’s instructions, the Government has introduced changes to the remuneration scheme. Today, the instructors will receive the same sum as winners or prize winners whom they have actually trained. This decision will be an additional incentive for both instructors who stimulate the youth’s interest in advanced sectors and for teams oriented to top performance.
The next item is about helping the farm sector. Many regions have launched the sowing campaign and it is highly important to provide them with Russian-made agricultural machinery. The President has repeatedly emphasised the need to introduce domestic equipment in this sector on a broad scale.
The Government pursues this work, focusing on maintaining easy-term programmes meant to provide tractors, harvesters, sowing machines, and much else to the farm sector. Among other things, we are creating the conditions for getting this machinery from Rosagroleasing. This year, over 4 billion roubles has been allocated to pay for its delivery to agricultural producers. The relevant directives have been signed.
The decision will make it possible for farmers to lease no fewer than 300 units of Russian-made equipment. This will strengthen the technological sovereignty of key economic sectors and help farm machine industries stabilise their sales. This issue was discussed at meetings with lawmakers and during the Government’s report to the State Duma.
The important thing is to enable farmers to get new machines as soon as possible. The demand for agricultural machinery is growing. This means that the industry should not be short of what is necessary for harvesting.
Let me say a few words about advanced Russian R&D for the farm sector. This is an important topic that was also addressed during the report to the State Duma.
The President particularly stressed the importance of boosting the scientific and technological potential of the agro-industrial complex. The Government has drafted adjustment to the Federal Scientific and Technical Programme for the Advancement of Agriculture. Its composition will be extended in two respects.
First, I am referring to the need to create and introduce advanced machinery and equipment for the agro-industrial complex. This will make it possible to reduce our dependence on foreign suppliers and improve the quality of agricultural products. Second, it is necessary to increase the output of veterinary drugs in this country.
Mr Patrushev, please expand on this.
Dmitry Patrushev: Mr Mishustin, colleagues.
Indeed, in order to further develop the agro-industrial complex and fulfill the tasks set by the President, we are placing great emphasis on enhancing the scientific and technical potential of our agro-industrial complex.
Among other initiatives, a special federal scientific and technical programme has been designed for this purpose. A number of areas are already being addressed within its framework.
I would like to remind you that the programme was revised back in 2023. At that time, the changes were aimed at ensuring import substitution, achieving technological leadership and raising production efficiency.
We have also adjusted the financing mechanism, which has resulted in attracting about 6 billion roubles in investment from the business community, which is three times higher than the originally planned level.
I would like to note that the development of breeding and seed production is critical area for us. Thanks to a set of measures, the level of self-sufficiency in seeds is systematically increasing. By the end of 2024, the indicator was 67.6 percent. For comparison, in 2022, it was around 60 percent.
Mr Mishustin, as you mentioned, the Government has now drafted amendments to the federal scientific and technical programme. This will include two new and very important areas for the industry.
The first concerns the efficiency of agricultural machinery production. By manufacturing our own modern machinery and equipment, we will continue to reduce our dependence on foreign supplies.
Federal funding for the entire period of its implementation will total about 13 billion roubles.
The subprogramme envisages the production of Russian harvesters and tractors, including those for harvesting beetroot, potatoes and fruit. The demand in this area is indeed very high. In addition, this should include machinery and equipment for breeding, seed production and livestock raising.
The second subprogramme is aimed at increasing the production of veterinary preparations. Despite quite intensive development of this sector in recent years, we remain dependent on imports.
In particular, we fully meet our demand for vaccines against the most dangerous diseases, but in general, the share of foreign drugs in this market is still about one third. We are already developing vaccines for cattle, pigs and poultry. Large scientific organisations, including the Federal Centre for Animal Health Protection, are collaborating with market players. In addition, we need to strengthen our position in veterinary drugs. Thus, the introduction of the new subprogramme will have a favourable impact on the market saturation with domestic veterinary drugs.
About 4.5 billion roubles are earmarked for the scheduled activities until 2030. At the same time, it is planned to attract at least 12 billion roubles in additional investments from business.
We expect to see the first results from both subprogrammes as early as 2027.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you, Mr Patrushev.
All these projects need to be launched as soon as possible, scaled up and made available to consumers. I believe this will have a beneficial effect on the dynamics of agricultural engineering and livestock breeding, among other things. Please keep this issue under personal control.
