Agenda: Amending the agriculture development programme, simplifying the work of fish-breeding companies and continuing the Professionalitet project.
Government meeting
Government meeting
Government meeting
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks: Good afternoon, colleagues. Before we move on to the meeting agenda, I would like to say a few words about a decision that has been made regarding support for the agro-industrial sector. As the President has noted, agriculture has firmly established itself as one of the most successful and rapidly developing sectors of the national economy and has become a significant factor in strengthening our sovereignty. In response to producers’ needs and market demands, the Government continues to provide consistent support to this sector. We have prepared amendments to the State Agriculture Development Programme, addressing a wide range of issues.
First and foremost, we are increasing oversight of how the consolidated subsidy is distributed to farmers at the regional level. Unless agricultural producers receive the allocated funds by 1 July of this year, the funding volumes for that region will be reduced by 10 percent. Most Russian regions are expected to allocate at least half of the funding by that deadline, and for the Far East, the requirement is no less than 20 percent.
This measure is aimed at improving budgetary discipline. Currently, applying for subsidies requires submitting a large number of documents, including proof of land use rights for agricultural purposes, confirmation of no overdue payments for land reclamation services, and data from the state register of agricultural land.
Since collecting this documentation takes time, we will simplify the procedure. For those applying for agricultural insurance with state support, this requirement will be eliminated entirely. For all other recipients of the consolidated subsidy, we will suspend these requirements until 1 January 2026. The goal is to make document preparation easier, particularly through the expanded use of digital solutions and interdepartmental electronic document exchange.
Another set of amendments specifies terms for allocating grants for the development of family farms, the modernisation of material and technical infrastructure, and investment projects. To reapply for such support, recipients must demonstrate that permanent jobs have been maintained and production output has increased over the five years since the previous grant.
At the same time, special provisions will apply for farmers in border regions, namely, the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions that participate in these programmes. For them, we will extend the duration of grant support by another six months to allow more effective use of the funds.
Additionally, to support the development of elite seed production, we will adjust the conditions for receiving subsidies. Starting from 1 January 2026, these subsidies will be available only to those using domestically developed elite seeds, primarily for grain and oilseed crops.
We expect that the proposed changes will help our agricultural producers secure a strong harvest this year and enhance their competitiveness.
Another decision the Government has made is to fast-track the rules for fisheries. The President has repeatedly spoken about the need to further improve the conditions for doing business in order to comply with the best international practices.
A wide range of such initiatives is being implemented, including for entrepreneurs engaged in fishing, both on an industrial scale and for individual amateurs.
When renewing a contract for the use of a fishing area, the organisation must fulfil a number of requirements, in particular, make three payments within a certain period.
A significant number of small and medium-sized enterprises operate in this area, including artels and agricultural cooperatives. Their profitability is not very high, and the established payments mean significant expenses for them.
The procedure will be changed to help the fishers. The payments will be made in four stages, and the period will be extended for another year.
This scheme will be available for working enterprises without bidding if their contract expires. The decision to renew it is made by the entrepreneur.
We expect that the proposed regulation will help increase the sustainability of the industry and preserve jobs in our regions.
Now, on to another topic: the continued implementation of an important project titled Professionalitet. It has quickly become popular since its launch three years ago, particularly among businesses.
Today, 370 clusters featuring over 2,000 industrial companies that will later employ graduates operate at colleges in most regions. Their total investments in the project have already exceeded six billion roubles.
At the President’s instructions, we plan to enshrine it in a law as a model of secondary vocational education. Another 13 educational and industrial clusters will be created in 13 Russian regions. The government will allocate one billion roubles for these purposes.
The funding will be allocated to border areas and the new regions, as well as Sevastopol, Crimea, the Republic of Ingushetia and the Jewish Autonomous Area.
In the current environment, this funding will serve as meaningful support for these regions, enabling them to train the skilled professionals needed for their economies and social sectors, as well as to engage potential employers in collaboration and integrate them into the educational process.
I would like to note that the Education Ministry needs to further advance this project, ensuring that all colleges across the country join the programme in the coming years. This will allow us to meet the target set by the head of state: to train one million specialists by 2028 who are aligned with the industry’s needs and will be in high demand across the national economy.
