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Demand for agricultural equipment in Russia almost doubles.

ITAR-TASS World Service
 

ROSTOV ON DON, July 2 (Itar-Tass)—Demand for Russian and foreign agricultural equipment has increased 1.5-2 times over the past three years, Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev said.

Russia is making «competitive grain harvesters that cost about time and a half less than their imported counterparts. And their production must be developed,» he said at an agricultural machinery exhibition in Rostov on Don on Monday.

«Russia, a grain power, should have its own grain harvesters and its own agricultural equipment that won't be inferior in any way to foreign analogues,» the minister said.

He believes it necessary to develop low-rate credits and preserve import duties to this end.

According to the minister, the state programme for the development of agriculture in 2008-2012 envisages 10-year credits for the purchase of new agricultural equipment and machinery. Currently five-year credits are provided for this purpose.

Gordeyev said the exhibition in Rostov on Don «is one of the world's largest floors for the demonstration of modern energy- and resource-saving technologies in the agro-industrial sector, selection achievements in plant growing, and modern agricultural machinery».

Over 600 companies that make agricultural machinery and equipment are attending the exhibition.

«Effective farming is a guarantee that the country will have food, livestock will have fodder, and agriculture in Russia will be able to develop the production of biofuel,» Gordeyev said.

He said earlier that Russia could also become a big producer of biomass to meet the growing energy needs.

«We have 20-23 million hectares of unused productive plough land in our country,» he said, adding, «We feel an increasingly growing demand in developed countries for agricultural resources that are used in the production of biofuel.»

Since last year «we have been giving priority to sowing more crops with high energy yield, including rape».

«Several regions are building plans that will process grain and produce bioethanol,» he said.

According to Gordeyev, Russia has 10 percent of the world's productive arable land and about 20 percent of the world's fresh water.

«Today the potential of agriculture has not been tapped in full, and I am convinced that we will be amongst leading food and resource exporters in the world in the near future,» the minister said.

Date:  02.07.2007

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