Agenda: co-financing the innovative Composite Valley Science and Technology Centre in the Tula Region, national report on the implementation of the agricultural development programme in 2024.
Government meeting
Minister of Transport Andrei Nikitin at a Government meeting
Government meeting
Government meeting
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Good afternoon, colleagues.
As per the President’s suggestion, the nomination of Andrei Nikitin for Transport Minister has been submitted to the State Duma. The deputies have supported it, and the President has signed the executive order appointing Andrei Nikitin as Transport Minister. He has already started working. I don’t think I need to additionally introduce him because you know him very well. He has extensive experience at the regional and federal levels.
Mr Nikitin, I congratulate you on your appointment and wish you success and all the best. Your ministry has been set challenging tasks for the further development of the Russian transport system, for strengthening connectivity throughout our vast country, improving passenger transportation for our citizens’ convenience, and introducing modern technologies in that sector.
It is also necessary to ensure the implementation of the national projects that have been launched this year on the President’s instructions.
I hope that you will demonstrate your best talents and produce concrete results in this responsible position. Once again, good luck.
Let us get to the agenda of our meeting.
We will begin with support for Russian regions for creating industrial facilities and jobs for highly skilled professionals there.
These measures are set out within the New Materials and Chemistry project, one of nine national projects aimed at achieving technological leadership. The President emphasised their key role in national development at the recent St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Today, we will discuss the allocation of one billion roubles for co-financing the innovative Composite Valley Science and Technology Centre, which has been established on the President’s instructions in the Tula Region. These funds will be used, in part, to purchase equipment for two laboratory buildings.
The companies that are working there have access to a broad range of government support measures. As you know, they include a zero value-added, profit and property tax rates, as well as halved wage insurance premiums.
This support has helped launch the production of engineering polymers that offer resistance to both temperature fluctuations and chemical exposure, printing mixtures for 3D printers, a multilayer fibre material that transforms into a cement-like substance when hydrated (cement textile composite), and many other innovative products.
As a result, the Tula Region has the most advanced basis for creating and implementing new technologies and using them for the small-scale production of multifunctional substances and components, as well as for modelling a forward-looking range of products made of composite materials, which promise solutions to a number of complicated design tasks.
Today we will also discuss the State Agriculture Development Programme. A national report on the situation in agriculture in 2024 has been prepared on its basis.
The President has called for supporting this sector on numerous occasions, for helping agribusinesses grow, expand production and more actively advance to foreign markets, because we have a large export potential.
The Government keeps these issues in the focus of its attention. The development pace of agriculture is proof of the effectiveness of the instruments we are using.
The implementation of the Food Security Doctrine is progressing steadily. Russia has achieved self-sufficiency in key products such as grain and sugar, with production exceeding domestic demand. Output of vegetable oil, meat, and meat products also saw growth last year.
Producers are increasingly using domestically bred seeds, which now account for nearly 67 percent of the total. Alongside grains, this includes sunflower, sugar beet, and other crops – all crucial for maintaining our farmers’ competitiveness and ensuring strong harvests in the future. Last year saw record production levels for oilseeds and rice, alongside positive outcomes for grapes, fruit, and berries.
In 2024, the government allocated more than 530 billion roubles for the state programme’s implementation. This approach provides a clear and predictable framework for agribusinesses, enabling large-scale infrastructure transformations across all segments. In crop production, for example, newly built storage facilities for vegetables, potato, and fruit now exceed 10 million tonnes in capacity.
Livestock farming has also seen significant improvements. Over the past five years, around 300 meat production facilities, both new and upgraded, have commenced operations, while more than 800 dairy farms and complexes were established in the same period.
For three consecutive years, state grant programmes have boosted tourism projects in rural areas, attracting over a million visitors to these regions.
The government will further pursue assistance measures, including protective customs tariffs to safeguard the domestic market, preferential lending for seasonal fieldwork, and support for investors undertaking large-scale agricultural projects. These are just a few of the mechanisms in place to strengthen the sector.
This report will be submitted to the Federal Assembly to serve as a framework for developing joint solutions with deputies and senators.
Ms Lut (addressing Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut), we must continually enhance conditions for scientific research in selection and genetics under the national project to secure technological leadership. This critically important effort includes stimulating the production of enzyme and veterinary drugs, food additives, and other essential agricultural inputs. Equally vital is our ongoing commitment to supporting farmers in training qualified personnel, as previously agreed. The state programme under discussion incorporates all these priority initiatives. I ask you to pay special attention to their implementation.
