FEDERAL EDUCATION AGENCY
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
SAMARA STATE ECONOMIC UNIVERSITY
Department of Economic and Social Geography
Course work
Course: Economic geography of Russia
On the topic of: Agriculture of the Russian Federation.
Basic patterns of the industry
and territorial organization .
Completed by a 1st year student
FiKR group No. 4
Maksakova Olga
Scientific adviser:
Alexandrova T.E. Associate Professor, Ph.D.
Protection assessment___________
Defense date___________
Samara 2008
Introduction……………………………………………………………………..……….…3
1. Definition and significance of Russian agriculture……………….…….…..4
1.1.Definition and task of agriculture…………………...……...4
1.2. The importance of agriculture in the country’s economy………......……..4
2. Regularities of the sectoral and territorial organization of agriculture in Russia……………………….…………………………….……...…6
2.2 . Industries livestock farming …………………………..………………….6
2.1 . Industries crop production ……………….……………………….....….9
2.3. Basic patterns of territorial organization
agriculture of Russia……………………………………………………….………
2.4. Characteristics of economic regions of Russia……………………
3. Problems and prospects for the formation of a sectoral and territorial organization of agriculture in Russia…………………………………
3.1.Problems of agriculture…………………………………….
3.2. Agricultural prospects………………………………………………………
Conclusion……………………………………………………………
Bibliography………………………………………………………
Applications………………………………………………………………………………..
Introduction
Russian society is going through a period of systemic socio-economic transformation, which increases the need for research into various spheres of the national economy to identify the main patterns and conditions that led to the need to implement reforms, study the essence of the ongoing transformations and their economic consequences.
The most important sector of the Russian economy is agriculture. Agriculture is a branch of the national economy. The main branches of agriculture are crop production and livestock production. Plant growing branches produce more than 40% of the country's total agricultural products. Crop production is the basis of agriculture. The level of livestock farming in Russia also depends on its level of development. Approximately 70% of the total range of products produced in the country is made from agricultural raw materials. In this regard, the importance of economic analysis of agricultural development is increasing.
The purpose of this course work is to study the basic patterns of sectoral and territorial features of the organization of agriculture in Russia.
To achieve this goal, the following tasks have been identified:
Explore the essence and significance of agriculture as the most important sector of the economy.
Explore the patterns of sectoral and territorial organization of agriculture
Consider the main problems, highlight the prospects for the formation of a sectoral and territorial organization of agriculture in Russia.
Chapter 1. Definition, structure and significance of Russian agriculture.
1.1. Definition and task of agriculture.
Agriculture is one of the main branches of material production; cultivation of crops and breeding of farm animals in order to obtain food and raw materials for industry. The main branches of agriculture are crop production and livestock farming, which include smaller industries, which in turn are differentiated by groups of crops, types of farm animals, etc.
Agriculture is a branch of the national economy that deals with growing plants (crop farming) and breeding animals (livestock farming).
Agriculture is associated with many industries (food, chemical, etc.), forming an agro-industrial complex, the main task of which is to reliably supply the country with food and agricultural raw materials. Unlike industry, agricultural production is carried out over vast areas where the topography, climate, and soils are different. In agriculture, many production processes are seasonal in nature, as they are associated with the natural conditions of plant growth and animal development. Natural conditions have a greater influence on the process and result of agricultural labor than industrial labor. Regardless of natural conditions, the level of development of agriculture is determined by the quantity and quality of labor expended, the degree of use of machinery and fertilizers.
The natural basis of agriculture is agricultural land - land used in agricultural production. Of 17.1 million sq. km of the entire territory of Russia, agricultural land accounts for only 2.22 million square meters. km, or 222.1 million hectares, - 13% of all lands (without reindeer pastures, which include a significant part of the tundra zone).
Agricultural land is of the following types: arable land, hayfields, pastures. A very small area is occupied by perennial plantings (orchards, vineyards). Of the 222 million hectares of farmland, arable land accounts for 132 million hectares (about 60%), hayfields - 23 million hectares (10%) and pastures - 65 million hectares (about 30%).
1.2. The importance of agriculture in the country's economy.
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the national
economy of Russia. It produces food for the country's population, raw materials for the processing industry and provides other needs of society. The living standards and well-being of the population largely depend on the development of agriculture: the size and structure of nutrition, per capita income, consumption of goods and services, social living conditions . (see Appendix No. 1)
This shows that the food situation in Russia can hardly be called prosperous. Meat is one of the most expensive food products, so the level of its consumption can be used to judge the economic availability of food in general. The highest rates are typical for:
● for regions where high-income people live: Moscow, Moscow region.
● for regions where climatic conditions make it necessary to consume more animal protein: the Republic of Sakha, Komi, Sakhalin region.
● for regions with high per capita meat production rates: Oryol, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Kaliningrad, Omsk regions.
● for regions where meat consumption is ethnically determined: the republics of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Buryatia.
A similar picture is observed with the consumption of dairy products, but milk is less transportable, so it is consumed more locally
production, and regions with high per capita incomes often
receive a little more than half of the required amount.
Chapter 2. Regularities of the sectoral and territorial organization of agriculture in Russia .
2.1. Livestock industries.
The main branches of agriculture are crop production and livestock farming. Crop production sectors produce more than 40% of the country's total agricultural products. Crop production is the basis of agriculture. The level of livestock farming in Russia also depends on its level of development.
Livestock farming is an important branch of agriculture, providing more than half of its gross output. The importance of this industry is determined not only by its high share in gross output, but also by its great influence on the agricultural economy and on the level of supply of important food products. (see Appendix No. 2)
The most common areas of specialization of livestock farms in Russia at present still remain: in cattle breeding - dairy, meat, dairy and meat; in pig farming - meat, bacon, semi-fat, fur coats; in poultry farming – egg, meat, broiler, mixed.
Meat, milk, eggs are the main consumer products of the population and are characterized by high nutritional properties. Without them, it is impossible to provide a high level of human nutrition. Livestock farming provides valuable types of raw materials for industry: wool, leather, smushki, etc. The development of livestock industries makes it possible to productively use labor and material resources in agriculture throughout the year. The livestock industries consume crop waste and create valuable organic fertilizers - manure and slurry.
In livestock farming, narrower sectors are distinguished - by type of animal, composition of products and other characteristics.
Cattle breeding(cattle breeding) occupies one of the main places in the country's livestock industry.
Cattle compared to other animal species
has the highest milk productivity. The bulk of meat products come from this type of livestock. Beef and veal account for more than 40% of the country's meat balance. Milk and dairy products are essential food products. The main milk producers are agricultural enterprises. For many farms, milk production is profitable and is the main source of daily income. However, it only becomes profitable
with sufficiently high productivity of the dairy herd and high quality milk. When properly raised and maintained, a cow produces 5-6 thousand kilograms of milk or more per year with a fat content of 4% or higher. Valuable raw leather is also obtained from cattle breeding. Cattle consume the cheapest plant feed.
Cattle breeding as an industry plays a significant role in the development of other sectors of agriculture. It supplies crop farming with valuable organic fertilizers - manure, and pig farming with milk, which is necessary for young piglets.
Pig farming - is one of the most productive and early maturing branches of livestock farming. The main products of pig farming are meat and lard. In terms of precocity, animal fertility, meat and fat yield, pig farming ranks first among livestock sectors.
Sheep breeding - is an important branch of livestock farming, which produces diversified and valuable products: meat, lard, milk, as well as wool, fur and sheepskin, smushka and leather.
Poultry farming - provides the population with highly nutritious dietary foods, and the light industry with valuable raw materials.
Changes in the number of livestock and poultry depend primarily on the provision of livestock farming with high-quality feed and the rate of reproduction of the herd.
Over the recent period, the supply of livestock feed has improved due to an increase in grain yields. The amount of feed, including concentrated feed, has increased per head of cattle. The offspring of cattle, sheep and goats have increased and the mortality of all types of livestock has decreased. This allows us to expect a slowdown in the reduction of livestock numbers, an increase in its productivity and an improvement in reproductive indicators.
The development of livestock farming is negatively affected by imperfect pricing, disparity in prices for industrial and agricultural products, lack of government support and other factors. Low livestock productivity is one of the main reasons not only for the poor quality of livestock raw materials, but also for the high labor intensity and unprofitability of the industry's production.
The cattle population has not yet stabilized, but
the rate of reduction slowed down, as managers and specialists of agricultural enterprises realized that a further reduction in the number of cows would upset the emerging balance between the availability of livestock, feed supply, means of production and labor resources.
In the production of livestock products, there is a possibility of internal and external risks. The level of internal risks is influenced by:
● production potential
● technological equipment
● level of specialization
● level of labor productivity, etc.
The level of external risks is influenced by the following factors:
● demographic
● social
● economic
● political, etc.
Depending on the location and specialization, the chosen livestock farm system differs significantly in its material and technical equipment, technology, organization of labor and production.
In recent years, these differences have sharply worsened, mainly depending on the financial condition of a particular livestock farm.
The livestock farming system is usually understood as the composition and size of livestock-raising industries determined by the production specialization of the farm, as well as a set of interrelated and interdependent, scientifically based zootechnical, veterinary, technical and organizational-economic measures for their management. Livestock farming systems are distinguished by the level of intensity, methods of feed production and types of feeding animals, forms of organizing livestock keeping, organization of herd reproduction, breeding work, etc.
Improving these systems involves organizing the production of livestock products on an industrial basis, in large, highly specialized enterprises. In the beef cattle industry, the leading positions are occupied by large specialized industrial fattening enterprises. In pig farming, in most cases, the same farms are involved in raising and fattening animals, and the division of labor in this industry is more limited. In poultry farming, the separation of meat production, which was previously a by-product in egg-based poultry farming, is progressing into an independent branch of poultry farming. Negative trends that began in the late 80s in the livestock industries of Russia were expressed, first of all, in a reduction in the potential of livestock and poultry in public sector farms, a gradual slowdown in the influence of intensive factors on the growth rate of livestock production since the early 90s, destabilizing processes in the industry have taken on a landslide character, as a result of which in all types of livestock farms without exception, all their parameters have deteriorated
economic activity.
The main consequences of industry degradation are as follows:
● there was a large-scale reduction in the number of livestock and poultry, up to its elimination in many farms and the disappearance of unique breeds;
● animal productivity has decreased to minimal limits;
● complete unprofitability of production activities of livestock premises and other production infrastructure facilities;
● curtailment of measures to introduce production intensification factors and achievements of scientific and technological progress in the field of livestock farming;
● the decline in livestock production exceeded all acceptable limits from the point of view of ensuring the country's food security.
In modern conditions of the deepest systemic crisis of the national economy, most developed before the early 90s. On an industrial basis, livestock complexes, highly productive enterprises and workshops, large inter-farm and regional associations for the production and processing of livestock products have been privatized and ruined.
Among the most important changes that have occurred in the last decade in technology and labor organization in livestock farms, it should be noted the decrease in the level of mechanization of labor processes and the deterioration of working conditions, which led to a significant decrease in its productivity.
Conducting large-scale commercial production in conditions of a difficult financial situation, lack of material resources and technical support on farms, first of all, highly productive animals, which are more susceptible to various diseases, are eliminated.
Of all livestock sectors, the greatest losses are typical for sheep farming. Its quantitative and qualitative potential has been significantly undermined, there has been a massive liquidation of sheep farms on public farms, and the material and technical base of the remaining farms has been set back several decades. The restoration and development of the production base of livestock farms is provided for in the Federal programs for the development of livestock industries.
Compliance with the technology of keeping livestock and poultry and the production of livestock products directly depends on the rational organization of labor on the farm. When organizing labor in animal husbandry, it is necessary to unconditionally adhere to such basic principles of rational organization of work processes as proportionality, consistency, rhythm, and continuity.
2.2. Branches of crop production.
(see Appendix No. 3)
Wheat - the most important grain crop in Russia, providing a significant part of the country's food grain basket. In recent years, its share has accounted for only slightly less than 1/2 of the total domestic grain production, and the acreage occupied by this crop exceeds the total area under all other grain and leguminous crops combined.
In Russia, two types of wheat are sown - spring and winter. Due to the fact that the yield of winter wheat is two or more times higher than the yield of spring wheat, winter wheat is cultivated wherever agroclimatic conditions allow. In general, in the western part of the country (with the exception of the northern regions) up to the Volga, winter wheat crops predominate, and to the east - spring wheat.
Winter wheat is sown in autumn and uses autumn and spring precipitation during the growing season. The provision of moisture promotes rapid vegetation and, therefore, early ripening of the crop and determines its higher yield than spring crops. The total amount of active temperatures required during its growing season, depending on the variety, ranges from 1200-1500°C. Low winter temperatures with little snow cover make it difficult for winter wheat to move east, especially to the steppe regions of the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia. The cultivation of winter wheat in the northern regions is hampered by long snow cover and late spring frosts.
The weak development of the root system determines the high demands of winter wheat on soil conditions. This crop develops best on structural chernozems with a high content of nutrients. Winter wheat does not tolerate acidic, peaty,
swampy and highly saline soils. On acidic soils the crop can
grown only after they have been limed.
Spring wheat is sown in early spring and takes advantage of late spring rainfall. The best conditions for its growth are temperatures of 15-20 °C. The culture tolerates spring frosts well. The growing season is estimated to last 90-120 days. The sum of active temperatures is 1200-1700 °C. The soil requirements of spring wheat are similar to winter wheat. Among the varieties of spring wheat, durum wheat is especially valued, with a high protein content and high baking qualities. It is highly rated on the world market. It is from the flour of this wheat that the best tasting pasta, cakes, pastries and other confectionery products are made.
Barley - the second grain crop in terms of production volume, providing about 1/4 of the gross grain harvest in Russia. In our country, this is, first of all, a fodder crop, on the basis of which concentrated feed for livestock production is produced. As a food crop, it is used to make beer, cereals, concentrates and some other products.
A very important advantage of barley is its early ripening (the duration of the growing season is only 85-95 days). In addition, barley is characterized by a low temperature at which growth begins, low sensitivity to frost and tolerance to drought. In this regard, the cultivation area of barley is extremely extensive: it penetrates further than other grain crops to the north, south and southeast. In the south and southeast, barley begins to ripen early, uses spring moisture reserves in the soil better than other grains and suffers less from summer droughts.
Rye - winter crop used both for food purposes and for feeding livestock. Winter rye is one of the most important food crops in Russia.
The sum of active temperatures of this crop is only 1000-1250 °C. Compared to winter wheat, rye is less demanding of moisture and has a strong, well-developed root system, which allows it to be cultivated on a wide variety of soils. Rye, unlike wheat, tolerates acidic soils well, has greater frost resistance, and a lower growth temperature. It tolerates drought better than winter wheat.
The main distribution area of rye is the Non-Black Earth zone of Russia. Recently, rye has been replaced by more valuable and high-yielding winter wheat from the black soil strip, which has the best agroclimatic conditions for its cultivation.
Oats - primarily a forage crop, which in the past was used on a significant scale as horse feed. However, as the number of horses in Russia decreased and barley harvests increased, the area under cultivation of this crop decreased significantly. Oats begin to grow at temperatures not as low as barley, grow longer and tolerate drought worse than other grains. The most important advantage of oats is their tolerance to acidic soils.
Corn - high-yielding grain crop. According to its productivity
in Russian conditions - 30-35 c/ha - it is second only to rice. The value of the crop lies in the fact that it allows you to replenish grain resources and obtain good silage and green fodder for livestock. Corn grain and flour, cereals, corn flakes and vegetable oil made from it are used for food purposes. In addition, corn can be used to make starch, molasses, alcohol, and many other products. The abundant green mass of this plant is an excellent succulent feed for livestock.
Corn is a heat-loving crop. To cultivate it for grain, the sum of active temperatures is required in the range of 2100-2900 °C, and for corn in the milky-waxy ripeness phase - 1800-2400 °C.
Corn places increased demands on moisture shortly before flowering and in the short period after it. The rest of the time it is a completely drought-resistant plant. In Russian conditions, the most favorable soils for cultivating corn are deep chernozems; on chestnut soils and degraded chernozems, yields are noticeably reduced. Corn for silage and green mass can also be cultivated on acidic soils when they are limed.
Millet - a low-yielding crop (in Russian conditions, the average yield is 8-10 c / ha), which is not widely used in our country. Millet, like corn, begins its growing season at fairly high temperatures - 10-12 ° C, is sensitive to frost, and is a short-day plant. The main advantage of the crop is its greater ability to tolerate drought than all other grains, thanks to which it has advanced further into arid regions than other plant domesticates. Millet successfully uses moisture reserves created in the steppe zone by far from regular summer precipitation.
Buckwheat - valuable cereal crop, low-yielding (usually 6-7 c/ha). It has an extremely short growing season (70-85 days), but a fairly high temperature for the start of growth (6-8 °C); in case of frost, the plant does not die, but sharply reduces the yield. Buckwheat does not tolerate lack of moisture in the soil and dry winds, but is well adapted to acidic soils. The main distribution area of the culture is the southern part of the forest and northern forest-steppe zones of the European part of Russia. The example of buckwheat clearly demonstrates the dependence of yield on the ecological state of the areas where this crop is cultivated. The productivity of buckwheat increases noticeably when it is pollinated by bees, and the main area of its cultivation coincides with the location of the country's largest chemical industry enterprises, which has a detrimental effect on beekeeping. Hence the unjustifiably low buckwheat yields in Russia and its insignificant gross harvest.
Rice - valuable food crop, the highest yielding of
all grains cultivated in Russia (yields up to 40 c/ha or more). However, this is the most heat-loving of all grain crops (the temperature of the beginning of growth is at least 12-15 ° C, and the sum of active temperatures
for various varieties cultivated in our country,
fluctuates between 2200-3200 °C).
Mustard - possessing high drought resistance, it is widespread in the Lower Volga region, in the Stavropol Territory and in the south of the Urals.
Leguminous crops(peas, lentils, beans, soybeans, etc.) contain a lot of protein, valuable in feed and food terms. The most important among them is peas, which are demanding of soil moisture and fertility; For its growing season, moderate heat reserves are sufficient. Peas are grown in forest and forest-steppe zones. Lentils are mostly cultivated in the western and central regions of the forest-steppe. Beans grow in the more southern parts of the country. Soybean, as a moisture-loving and heat-loving plant, has limited distribution areas and occupies significant areas in the south of the Far East, where a humid monsoon climate prevails.
Sunflower - the most widespread technical culture in Russia. Almost all domestic vegetable oil Sunflower is demanding of soil conditions; this crop produces the greatest yields on well-structured chernozems, but it is much less demanding of moisture than sugar beets. An important condition for obtaining sunflower seeds with a high percentage of oil content is a large number of sunny days.
Sugar beet - multi-purpose crop. In Russia, both technical (intended for sugar production) and fodder varieties are grown, but the former predominate. After processing industrial sugar beets into sugar, a large amount of waste is obtained, which is valuable succulent feed for cattle and pig breeding.
To obtain stable and high yields of sugar beets, cultivated soils (preferably chernozems) and good and uniform soil moisture throughout the summer are required. Any temporary deterioration in the water supply of this crop reduces the sugar content in the tubers and reduces the yield. Technical varieties of sugar beets also place increased demands on sunlight. To increase the sugar content in tubers, a sufficiently large number of sunny days is necessary.
Fiber flax - begins to grow at low temperatures and has a short growing season. Because of this, its crops moved further north than other industrial crops. High-quality fiber and large yields are obtained only in areas with cool, rainy and cloudy summers, where fiber flax varieties with long, non-branching stems are cultivated. Flax is sown in crop rotations after favorable predecessors, enriching the soil with plant nitrogen on well-cultivated soils.
In areas with a dry, warm climate (in the steppe Trans-Volga region, in the south of the Urals and in the Kulunda steppe), curly flax is grown. The stem of such flax develops little in length, is highly branched and is not suitable for the production of textile fibers.
Curly flax is cultivated exclusively for seed for production
oils used mainly for technical and medical purposes.
Hemp - products made from hemp fiber can be replaced to a much greater extent by artificial fiber, which has led to a significant reduction in the area of this crop over the past decades.
Hemp has unique environmental characteristics: high requirements for the content of nutrients in the soil along with the consumption of large amounts of moisture and heat during the period of intensive growth. All this determines the historical distribution of hemp in the form of “foci” confined to well-cultivated soils in the south-west of the forest zone (in the Bryansk, Oryol regions), along river valleys on the western slopes of the Central Russian and Volga uplands, in the forest-steppe and steppe zones. More heat-loving and valuable varieties of southern hemp are common in some areas of the North Caucasus.
Tobacco - A heat-loving crop that requires moisture and nutrient content in soils. Cultivation of tobacco is associated with high labor costs. Tobacco crops are most confined to the foothills and mountainous regions of the North Caucasus, where leached soils predominate.
Potato growing - an important branch of Russian crop production. The role of potatoes in the diet of Russians is especially significant. No wonder it is called the second bread. In addition to food purposes, potatoes are widely used as feed in livestock farming, especially in pig farming, and they are also used for technical purposes.
Vegetable and melon growing - one of the weakest links in Russian crop production. A significant part of the vegetables consumed in Russia is imported from abroad (mainly from the former Soviet republics).
The most common vegetables in Russia are cabbage, beets, carrots, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants. Over the past decades, azonality in the production of most vegetables has sharply increased, expressed in their territorial concentration in the suburban areas of large cities and urban agglomerations. This was facilitated by the increase in the share of households, in particular city residents, in the production of vegetables (in 1995 - about 70% of all-Russian production), and the expansion of the greenhouse and greenhouse production system for these crops.
Fruit crops- include a large group of trees and shrubs. In the gardens of our country, the most important are pome trees (apple trees, pears, etc.) and stone fruit crops (cherries, plums, apricots, etc.), which account for about 9/10 of the area of all fruit plantings.
Viticulture- This crop is well adapted to the conditions of a moderately warm and subtropical climate. The peculiarities of the placement of viticulture are due to the fact that this crop is successfully cultivated on light, gristly, gravelly, well-warmed and aerated soils on the slopes of hills and mountains. Thanks to a well-developed root system that penetrates deeply into skeletal soils, the grapevine is able to extract water from great depths.
2.3. Basic patterns of territorial organization of agriculture in Russia.
The main patterns of the territorial organization of agriculture are manifested in a certain localization of the top agricultural enterprises and regions, formed under the influence of a complex of natural and socio-economic factors at each stage of the country’s socio-economic development. The basis of agricultural areas is made up of the dominant types of enterprises for which there are the most favorable combinations of natural and socio-economic conditions and resources of the countryside.
Agricultural enterprises of various types perform certain national economic functions in the system of territorial division of labor within large regions and the country as a whole.
Natural conditions in the development of agriculture act as a factor of territorial differentiation. Agroclimatic resources in combination with soil-lithological-geomorphological features of the territory determine the possibility of cultivating certain crops as part of certain types of crop rotations. The differentiation of farming systems in different types of landscapes is associated with the levels of productivity of cultivated plants, the size of production costs, and, consequently, indicators of cost and production efficiency.
Socio-economic factors of territorial differentiation of agriculture. The increasing growth rate of the urban population leads to constant changes in the territorial organization of agriculture within this zone. The further growth of large cities with a population of over 250 thousand and especially over 500 thousand inhabitants is an important economic factor in the territorial organization of agriculture.
One of the factors in the territorial organization of agriculture is the unequal economic and geographical position of rural areas in relation to places of consumption and processing of agricultural products.
Finally, factors of territorial organization are the transport and geographical location of agricultural enterprises (especially those producing low-transportable types of products). The degree of transportability of crop and livestock products is changing as a result of the improvement of vehicles, the creation of specialized types of transport, including refrigeration and other installations. Transportation of agricultural products from production sites to points of storage, processing, and consumption of products is largely carried out by road transport.
The spatial localization of labor resources, associated with the characteristic features of rural settlement in various types of rural areas, is also of certain importance. The quantitative assessment of labor resources is due to the unequal labor intensity of different sectors of crop and livestock production with a certain level of mechanization of production processes.
With the development of the scientific and technological process and industrialization (comprehensive mechanization) of agriculture, labor productivity increases in all sectors of crop and livestock production, although differences in living labor costs remain between more labor-intensive crops (berries, fruits, vegetables) and less labor-intensive ones (cereals). Thus, combinations of natural and economic factors determine the specialization of agriculture, as well as methods of organizing agriculture and livestock raising, leading to territorial differentiation of production intensity levels.
2.4. Characteristics of economic regions of Russia.
Northern economic region.
Agriculture specializes in the following areas: livestock farming (animal farming, reindeer husbandry, dairy and beef cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming): crop farming (flax farming, greenhouse vegetable growing, potato growing).
The natural and climatic conditions of the Northern Economic Region do not allow the creation of a diversified crop production system. All of the listed sectors of crop production are located for the most part in the “southern” regions of the region. The lack of agricultural raw materials does not make it possible to develop certain types of production, for example, the production of sugar, vegetable oil, etc.
Northwestern economic region.
The region's agriculture specializes in the following sectors: livestock farming (dairy and beef cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming, fur farming), crop farming (flax growing, potato growing, vegetable growing, growing grain crops). Climatic conditions do not allow achieving high yields. High air and soil humidity with relatively moderate winter temperatures – from -10˚С to -16˚С and summer – from 15˚С to 17˚С. Consequently, the gross yields of the most important agricultural crops have insignificant shares in the production of similar crops in Russia as a whole.
Central economic region.
Branches of agricultural specialization: crop production
(growing grain crops: wheat, rye, buckwheat, barley; growing industrial crops: sugar beets, tobacco, hemp, hops, chicory; potato growing, vegetable growing), livestock farming (dairy and meat and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming). Climate here it is milder, the summers are warmer and longer, soddy-podzolic and gray forest soils are common, suitable for cultivating potatoes, vegetables, grains, industrial crops - hemp, sugar beets; Dairy and beef cattle breeding predominates.
Volga-Vyatka economic region.
Branches of specialization in agriculture: livestock farming (dairy and beef cattle breeding, pig farming, fur farming, poultry farming), crop farming (flax growing, potato growing, growing rye, barley, oats, wheat, beet growing, hop growing, tobacco growing, gardening). Agriculture in the Volga-Vyatka economic region has a wide specialization. It meets its food needs through its own production of most goods. The shortfalls are covered by supplies from nearby areas. Mild climate, long warm summers, soddy-podzolic and gray forest soils are common, suitable for cultivating potatoes, vegetables, grains, industrial crops - hemp, sugar beets; Dairy and beef cattle breeding predominates.
Central Black Earth economic region.
Based on the classification of soils, climatic conditions, and the availability of experience in breeding, the sectoral structure of agriculture is formed. Structure of agriculture: livestock farming (dairy and meat and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming), crop farming (growing of grains and legumes: wheat, buckwheat, barley, peas, corn; cultivation of industrial crops: sunflower, hemp, shag, sugar beets ; essential oil crops, growing melons, gardening).
Agriculture is intersectoral. The population's needs for meat, dairy products, animal and vegetable oil are met using its own resources. In addition, the district acts as a supplier of vegetable oil to other parts of the country.
The Central Black Earth economic region is located in the forest-steppe and steppe zones, winter temperatures are –8-11˚С and summer – 19-20˚С, moisture is unstable, the territory is prone to droughts. Land resources are the main wealth of the region; chernozem soils predominate. Farmland occupies almost 80% of the area; wheat, rye, corn, sugar beets, and sunflowers are grown on them; Dairy and beef cattle breeding, pig breeding and sheep breeding predominate. In the suburbs of the districts, vegetable growing and pig farming are developed.
Volga economic region.
In the lower Volga region, climatic conditions are very favorable for the development of agricultural sectors, which allows the region to occupy leading positions in the production of potatoes, sugar beets, meat, milk, animal and vegetable oil, granulated sugar. Branches of agricultural specialization: crop production (growing wheat, rye , barley, peas, millet, buckwheat, rice; cultivation of hemp mustard, sugar beets, coriander, shag, sunflower, flax; cultivation of melons; gardening, potato growing, vegetable growing), livestock breeding (dairy and meat and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig breeding , poultry farming, beekeeping, fur farming, fine-fleece and semi-fine-fleece sheep breeding).
North Caucasus economic region.
Thanks to favorable natural and climatic conditions, the region has a high level of agricultural development. Favorable and diverse soil and climatic conditions in the region ensure the cultivation of about 80 crops in the North Caucasus and the development of highly productive diversified livestock farming.
Branches of agriculture: livestock breeding (dairy and meat and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming, fine-fleece sheep farming), crop farming (growing wheat, corn, barley, rice, sunflower, hemp, essential oil crops, vegetable growing, tobacco growing, horticulture, viticulture, cultivation melons, castor beans, beet growing, tea growing, mustard growing.
Ural economic region.
The specialization of agriculture in the Urals changes from north to south. In the northern part of the region, dairy farming and pig farming are combined with the cultivation of potatoes, vegetables, flax, barley and oats. The southern and southeastern parts are the most important grain regions, specialized in the production of strong and high-protein wheat. Beef cattle breeding and sheep breeding are also developed. Branches of agricultural specialization: livestock farming (beekeeping, dairy and meat and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming, fine-fleece and semi-fine-fleece sheep breeding), crop farming (sunflower, sugar beets, curly flax, fiber flax , potatoes, peas, millet, oats, barley, wheat, rye).
West Siberian economic region.
Branches of agricultural specialization: livestock farming
(beekeeping, dairy and meat and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming, fine-fleece and semi-fine-fleece sheep breeding, deer breeding, yak breeding, fur farming, reindeer husbandry, fishing), crop farming (sunflower, sugar beets, curly flax, fiber flax, potatoes, peas , millet, oats, barley, wheat, rye, millet, horticultural crops, vegetables). The needs of the population are satisfied at the expense of their own resources for such food products as meat, milk, animal and vegetable oil, etc.
East Siberian economic region.
Branches of agricultural specialization: livestock breeding (dairy and meat and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig breeding, poultry farming, fur farming, reindeer husbandry, yak breeding, camel breeding, horse breeding, meat and wool sheep breeding), crop farming (production of wheat, oats, hemp, fiber flax, barley , vegetable growing, potato growing, cedar fishing). Specialization here is largely explained by the peculiarities of natural conditions. The Far North is a zone of well-developed reindeer husbandry, the southern forest-steppe regions ─ meat and dairy farming, the intermountain basins of Khakassia, Tyva, Buryatia, and the Chita region ─ a zone of fine-fleece and semi-fine-fleece production.
Far Eastern economic region.
Specialization of the district in the field of agriculture: animal husbandry
(animal farming, cattle breeding, poultry farming, deer breeding, deer breeding, beekeeping, pig farming), crop farming (gardening, potato growing, vegetable growing, growing barley, oats, soybeans, rice and wheat). Of the five types of crops taken to compare all
economic regions in the Far East grow four-grain potatoes, sunflowers, and vegetables. The volume of grain production is falling, which determines its shortage for the economic needs of the region and their share in
Russian Federation. The region provides itself with meat, fish, milk, vegetables, and fruits.
Chapter 3. Problems and prospects for the formation of a sectoral and territorial organization of agriculture in Russia.
3.1. Problems of agriculture.
The current state of agriculture in Russia leaves much to be desired. The productivity growth that began in the late 90s began to decline again in 2002.
Russia lags behind advanced countries in terms of technology and technology in agriculture. Only two percent of its agricultural land is cultivated using conservation agriculture technologies. Due to our backwardness, crop losses reach 30%. Our specific energy costs are several times higher than in the USA and Western Europe. In Russia, 13% of the country's total working population works in agriculture, which is 2-4 times more than in the West.
There are a number of problems in overcoming the backwardness of Russian agriculture. Let's look at the main ones:
1. High prices for fuel, which make highly profitable production of agricultural products impossible. There was a proposal to convert tractors and combines to gas, which, according to experts, would reduce fuel costs by three times. But, firstly, the fleet of agricultural machines itself has, for the most part, exhausted its entire resource. Secondly, converting self-propelled vehicles to gas also requires costs. And thirdly, Gazprom is unlikely to want to lag behind the oil companies in taking advantage of the favorable conditions on the world market and will raise gas prices.
High interest rates on loans of 15 - 16%. But banks cannot reduce interest rates, because they are not confident in the repayment of loans,
2. since in agriculture, where private owners also dominate, the redistribution of property is still ongoing, there is another wave of driving peasants off the land, direct seizures, takeovers and deliberate bankruptcies of enterprises.
3. High customs duties on agricultural machinery and an unprotected domestic market from dumping of food supplies from abroad. Even the northern countries of Western Europe differ from Russia in much more favorable natural and climatic conditions. There, the growing period for plants is longer, the winter is much less severe, etc. Our buildings must be more capital, the cost of heating the premises is much higher. Therefore, it is impossible for us to compete with Western producers in terms of the efficiency of agricultural production, all other things being equal.
4. Social problems of rural residents: it is necessary to build housing in the countryside, improve social conditions for peasants. Large corporations who are not interested in the prosperity of the village have become the owners of the village. Today, one corporation reigns in the village; tomorrow, given the change in market conditions, it will sell its shares. It is not economically feasible to divert funds to housing construction that could be more efficiently invested in production. And the state does not have enough funds for the most urgent needs; it allocates crumbs to agriculture, from which you cannot find much for housing and improving living conditions.
Such an important branch of Russian agriculture as dairy farming faces many pressing problems. The work of domestic livestock farms has long resembled not a business, but a struggle for survival - in many cases a hopeless one.
The state is also unable to guarantee the minimum profitability of dairy production. In Russia, not only the profitability of dairy farming is falling, but the number of dairy cows is also declining. According to the Federal State Statistics Service, by February 1, 2006. The number of cattle on the farms of all agricultural producers, according to calculations, amounted to 21.5 million heads, of which cows - 9.5 million sheep and goats - 17.1 million pigs - 13.5 million.
In the structure of livestock, households accounted for 44.1% of cattle, 41.8% of pigs, 54.7% of sheep and goats (to the beginning
February 2005 - 43.7%, 44.8% and 55.9%, respectively).
At first glance, the decline in livestock really looks like a disaster. However, even with the current number of cows, their number per 1 thousand people in Russia exceeds 80 heads, and in prosperous Europe it is only 34-40 heads. That is, the success of livestock farming abroad is achieved not by numbers, but by quality. Low-producing cows in the United States are culled. A high-producing cow is essentially a milk production “factory”. Therefore, when a cow produces less than 20 liters of milk per day for 2 weeks in a row, it is sent to the slaughterhouse. Otherwise, milk yield will decrease, quality will decrease, and the business will cease to be profitable.
In our country, the troubles of livestock farming are attributed to the decline in livestock, and agricultural enterprises perform not an economic, but more a social role for peasants. After all, often the farm of a former collective or state farm is where almost the entire surrounding population lives, bringing feed, milk, and generally everything that is in bad shape from the cowsheds. For villagers this is sometimes the only source of income. Another thing is that such a practice has nothing to do with a normal economy. Not all farm managers think about how productive the existing livestock is. And experts believe that we can talk about the profitability of the dairy business only after reaching the 5-6 thousandth level of annual milk production. They also see the reason for low milk yields in the lack of balanced feed. There is an opinion that livestock farming, like agriculture, in Russian conditions is a risky business by definition.
Milk prices have been almost at the same level in recent years. And energy prices have risen by about 70% during this time. Energy costs are on average three times higher than similar costs of foreign companies. Therefore, the cost of Russian milk is 20-30 percent higher than imported milk. But it’s not just about costs, it’s also about irrational use of resources, outdated equipment and technologies. For example, labor productivity in Russian livestock farming is at least two times lower than in developed Western countries. 60 percent of cows are milked not into milk lines, but into portable buckets. Most dairy farms in Russia were built 30-40 years ago and designed according to developments from the middle of the last century. Dairy farms are also hampered by the disproportion between the real cost of raw milk and the purchase prices for it from dairies. Today there is a price dictate of trade over the processor, processor over the agricultural producer.
Another costly cost for the industry is taxes. Both producers, processors and milk traders are subject to VAT. It turns out that the tax is charged three times for one product.
3.2. Prospects for agriculture.
We cannot but agree that the funds allocated for the development of livestock farming are insufficient. Today, livestock farming occupies one of the first positions in the “agricultural budget” of the Russian Federation. Nevertheless, it remains perhaps the leader in terms of unprofitability. In 2004, the federal authorities spent 745 million rubles on supporting livestock breeding alone, not counting funds from private investors and money allocated from regional budgets. But the problem is that these funds are not always used effectively. According to the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Breeding, most of the same breeding farms do not sell breeding animals, although they receive state subsidies for this.
Farms with real development prospects should have the right to preferences. This targeted approach is being implemented in the regions, especially since there is not enough money for everyone in any case. The conditions for receiving a subsidy are maintaining the livestock and increasing milk production.
There must be an effective government policy to regulate prices. For now, the main profits are concentrated in the sphere of processing and distribution. But it is possible to legally guarantee minimum purchase prices for milk and meat.
Stable farms do not need direct subsidies so much as they need a consistent pricing policy and affordable, long-term loans in order to develop and modernize production.
To this we can add that dairy farms, in addition to loans and government support, also need real owners. Otherwise, livestock farming - a potentially profitable and highly profitable industry - will remain unprofitable for a long time and will continue to face budgets of all levels with an outstretched hand.
In the "Concept-forecast for the development of livestock farming in Russia until 2010." scientifically substantiated increase in milk and beef production due to intensive factors. In particular, to provide the population with milk, it is enough to have 13 million cows, but their milk yield must reach an average of 4000-4300 kg by 2010. In January 2006, this figure was 1.8 million tons. Beef must be produced at 40 -50% more, which will be 81 kg per capita in slaughter weight in 2010 according to the moderate option, 92 kg per capita according to the intensive option (60-65 kg in recent years). In developed Western countries this figure today is 90-120 kg.
More than 98% of beef in Russia comes from the slaughter of cull cows and super-replacement young animals from dairy herds. In the future, this source of beef production will also play a leading role. At the same time, it is necessary to accelerate the development of beef cattle breeding so that its share in beef production increases from 1.7% in 2001. up to 6.3% for moderate and up to 20-25% for intensive options by 2010.
Ways out of the current agricultural crisis. October 19, 2005 An extended meeting of the board of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia was held, at which specific measures for the implementation of the priority national project “Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex” were considered. The Plan and Network Schedule, developed by specialists of the Ministry on behalf of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, were approved, which define the activities, the volume of their financing, benchmarks, deadlines and responsible executors.
For the first time in the last 15 years, agriculture has become a national development priority.
The national development project is based on market principles
economy. Its main goal is to improve the quality of life both in the city and in the countryside. The emphasis will be on the development of meat and milk - the most valuable types of food, the consumption of which has decreased by one and a half times over the years of reforms. The relevance of the problem is determined by the contribution of livestock farming to the total volume of agricultural production. However, its share has been trending downward over recent years. In 2004 it was 45 percent, compared to 47 percent in 2001. World practice shows that in countries with developed agriculture, livestock farming accounts for the majority of agricultural production (Germany - 52%), moreover, livestock farming acts as a kind of locomotive for the development of the industry, consuming significant volumes of crop products. Calculations show that the potential for growth in agricultural production in Russia with an increase in production volumes in livestock farming is significantly higher than in the case of increasing grain exports. At the same time, the market for meat and meat products is extremely promising and socially significant. Meat consumption per capita in Russia is 53 kg, while in developed countries it is 80-100 kg.
At the same time, meat consumption will constantly increase as population incomes increase. The dynamics of recent years indicate this. Therefore, it is necessary to respond to market signals in a timely manner and orient the business regarding the development prospects of this sector.
The first activity in the Project Implementation Plan defines measures to expand the availability of credit resources for the accelerated development of livestock farming. The interest rate on loans received for a period of up to 8 years for the construction and modernization of livestock complexes will be subsidized by two-thirds from the Federal budget. This will be the first time this has been done for such a long period.
6 billion 630 million rubles will be allocated for the implementation of the event, including 3 billion 450 million in 2006, which will make it possible to attract about 40 billion rubles of commercial loans for technical re-equipment.
The second event also aims to update the basic
funds in livestock farming. Its main task is to increase the genetic potential of animal breeds bred in Russia and improve their living conditions.
The solution to this problem is envisaged to be carried out through the purchase of breeding livestock and modern technological equipment through a positively proven system of state leasing. Leasing supplies will be ensured by an increase in the authorized capital of OJSC Rosagroleasing by 8 billion rubles, 4 billion annually.
The result of this event will be the supply of up to 100 thousand heads of highly productive livestock under leasing, the commissioning and modernization of 130 thousand livestock places.
The third measure to ensure the accelerated development of livestock farming and increase its competitiveness is the adoption of a Government decision to abolish import customs duties on technological equipment for livestock farming that has no domestic analogues. The Priority Project Implementation Plan provides for the issuance of a Government Resolution approving the volume of quotas and customs duties on meat in 2006-2007. and until 2009, in accordance with existing intergovernmental agreements. All economic entities in the industry must know the plans and conditions of the Government’s customs tariff policy.
The second important area of project implementation is “Stimulating the development of small forms of farming in the agro-industrial complex.” In small forms of farming (LPH and peasant farms) 93% of potatoes and 80% of vegetables are produced. The social significance of this sector is also great - 16 million families maintain personal subsidiary plots, 1 million 200 thousand people are employed in peasant (farm) farms.
However, due to the lack of the necessary infrastructure for commodity and credit support among peasant farms and private household plots, their access to the processing and consumption markets is limited. This direction is implemented through 2 main activities of the plan.
The first event is aimed at expanding the availability of credit
resources for personal subsidiary plots and peasant (farmer) households and agricultural consumer cooperatives created by them.
For the first time, it is planned to carry out 100% subsidization of the interest rate on attracted loans - 95% of the rate is subsidized from the federal budget and 5% of the rate from the budget of the subject of the Russian Federation in which the farm is located.
The size of the loan for private household plots is proposed to be set at up to 300 thousand rubles, peasant farms up to 3 million rubles, created private household plots and peasant farms of agricultural consumer cooperatives - up to 10 million rubles. 6 billion 570 million rubles will be allocated for the implementation of this measure-2 .9 billion in 2006
The implementation of the event will make it possible already in 2006 to take advantage of this unprecedentedly preferential form of lending for about 200 thousand private household plots and about 6 thousand peasant farms, and attract up to 20 billion rubles of loans for the development of commodity production.
The implementation of the second event will be aimed at stimulating the creation of procurement and supply and sales structures, the development of credit cooperation, as well as production of processing agricultural products produced by private household plots and peasant farms. The main executor of this event is Rosselkhozbank with its developed branch network in 65 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. To provide it with financial resources, the authorized capital of the Bank will be increased by 9.4 billion rubles. The implementation of the event should ensure the creation of 1000 procurement and supply and marketing, 550 processing and up to 1000 rural credit cooperatives. The Project Implementation Plan provides for the creation of a land and mortgage lending system.
The development of a land mortgage system will make it possible to use land collateral to obtain a loan for 5,000 households. This mechanism is new and its implementation will be tested in the first half of 2006 on 20 pilot projects.
In the process of working on the project and based on the results of the extended work
collegium, the Ministry of Agriculture prepared a number of additional measures necessary for the successful implementation of the priority national project “Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex”. These measures are expected to be formalized as instructions from the Chairman of the Government based on the results of the expanded board.
Among them:
1. Application of customs tariff regulation measures to imported dairy products:
● differentiated increase in import customs duties on hard cheeses;
● implementation of measures to limit the import of hard cheeses supplied from Ukraine;
● taking measures to limit the import of milk powder and butter (including customs and tariff regulation measures), including those supplied from Ukraine and Belarus.
2. Development of technical regulation measures:
● development of a draft technical regulation “On the requirements for the biological safety of animals imported into the territory of the Russian Federation”;
● development of a draft technical regulation “On the requirements for biological safety of products and raw materials of animal origin”;
● development of a draft technical regulation “Requirements for
ensuring the safety of the use and disposal of organic waste from livestock and poultry farming, enterprises processing livestock products.”
3. Use of funds from the Investment Fund to stimulate the attraction of private investment (through the mechanism of public-private partnership) for the construction of complexes for processing meat and dairy products in regions with an excess of raw materials.
4. Development of a concept for state support for the development of large agro-industrial holding-type structures engaged in the production of agricultural raw materials, processing and trade in
based on modern innovative technologies,
5. Simplification of the procedure for the formation of land plots from agricultural lands and reduction of fees for land management work during cadastral registration.
6. Formation of a system of land-mortgage lending secured by land plots from agricultural lands.
To organize and monitor the implementation of activities, the Ministry’s specialists drew up a Network Schedule for the implementation of the national priority project “Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex”.
Work on the project involves the development of:
1. Government resolutions;
2. Government orders;
3. Technical regulations;
4. Methodology;
5. Concepts.
As well as carrying out a large amount of organizational work on information and methodological support and control of project implementation in the regions. Co-executors in the project are: OJSC Rosagroleasing; OJSC Rosselkhozbank;
Among the government bodies involved: the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Industry and Energy, the Federal Property Management Agency,
Federal Antimonopoly Service, Federal Customs
service, heads of constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
To summarize, we can highlight the following directions for overcoming the agrarian crisis:
1. Structural restructuring of agro-industrial production in the direction of further adaptation of enterprises to market conditions.
2. Development of quickly payback and resource-saving technologies and production.
3. Consideration of existing large-scale agricultural enterprises created on the basis of collective farms and state farms on the basis of the privatization of land and property into private (shared and joint) ownership, as a transition to more efficient family private ownership and small-scale (farm) ownership in agriculture.
4. Development and government encouragement (tax incentives and subsidies) of agricultural cooperation and agro-industrial integration.
5. Development of leasing, increasing the efficiency of using government credit resources.
6. Creation of a nationwide training program for agricultural entrepreneurs - new owners who will inherit the land or buy it from their heirs. According to expert estimates, there are at least 1.5 million of them. If they learn to use the land effectively, then agriculture will be revived in Russia.
7. Increasing the efficiency of state subsidies for agriculture through the reorientation of subsidies from the producer level to the food consumer level, providing commodity credit to producers and developing real financial leasing.
8. As an indirect way to support agriculture, preferential treatment of assets and VAT on purchased resources, in particular on fuel, should be used.
9. Use new management techniques and other innovations.
Although it is worth noting that the country’s leaders never tire of declaring the priority importance of agriculture for the economy and security of Russia. However, these wonderful statements and loud promises are realized in a very modest way.
Conclusion
The socio-economic situation in agriculture remains unstable. The number of cattle and cows continues to decline, and the number of poultry has decreased. In general, the current agricultural sectors leave us expecting better results.
Crop production is developed in Russia mainly in forest-steppe and steppe regions. This branch of agriculture includes the cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, fodder crops, vegetables and melons, potatoes, as well as the cultivation of industrial crops and perennial plantings - orchards and vineyards. The area under grain crops in Russia has been declining in recent years.
The main grain crops of the Russian Federation are rye, wheat, barley, oats, buckwheat, millet, corn, and legumes are peas, beans, lentils, soybeans. Wheat occupies the first place in terms of area under crops, but the most widespread crop is barley, as it is grown everywhere, but mainly as a fodder crop.
Livestock farming includes many more branches than crop farming: cattle breeding (cattle breeding), pig farming, sheep farming, poultry farming, horse breeding, goat breeding, reindeer husbandry, sericulture, fish farming, fur farming, etc.
The main direction in livestock farming is dairy and meat. It is practically developed everywhere. But unfortunately, livestock farming in Russia is not in the best condition at the moment.
The growth of agricultural production can be achieved extensively (by expanding crops, increasing the number of livestock) or through intensification (increasing yields as a result of increasing doses of fertilizers, the use of high-yielding plant varieties, irrigation, or the introduction of highly productive breeds of livestock and poultry).
Bibliography
1. Alexandrova T.E. Economic and social geography of the Russian Federation [Text]: textbook. Manual / T.E.Alexandrova, I.I.Firulina; edited by T.E.Alexandrova. – Samara: from Samar. state econ. Univ., 2007.– 304 p.
2. Voronin V.V. Economic geography of the Russian Federation: Textbook. 2nd ed., revised. and additional: At 2 hours. Part II. Economic zoning. External economic relations. Samara: Samarsk Publishing House. state econ. acad., 1997. 280 p.
3. Economic and social geography of Russia: textbook for universities / Ed. prof. A.T. Khrushchev. – 2nd ed. stereotype. – M.: Bustard, 2002.-672 p.; ill., map: color. on
4. Kovalenko N.Ya. Agricultural Economics. With the basics of agricultural markets. Lecture course. – M.: Association of Authors and Publishers TANDEM: EKMOS Publishing House. – 448s.
5. Agricultural economics. Textbook. Ed. Academician of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences V.A. Dobrina. - M.: Kolos. - 1990.
6. Agricultural Economics / I.A. Minakov, L.A. Sabetova and others; Ed. I.A. Minakova. – M.: KolosS, 2002.- 32 p.: ill.-(Textbook and educational manual for students of higher educational institutions). (172-238 pp.)
7. Organization of production at agricultural enterprises / M.I. Sinyukov, F.K. Shakirov and others; Ed. M.I. Sinyukova - 4th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, - 512 p. (Textbook and educational manual for students of higher educational institutions). (249-476 pp.)
8. Agricultural Economics: Album of visual aids / V.A. Dobrynin, P.P. Dunaev, etc.; Ed. V.A. Dobrynina. - M.: Agropromizdat, - 367 p. - (Textbook and educational manual for students of higher educational institutions). (244 pp.)
9. Kovalenko N.Ya. Development of market relations in agriculture, trends and problems. Textbook.- M.: Publishing house MCHA 1996.
10. Petrenko I.A., Chuzhinov P.I. Agricultural Economics. Tutorial. Alma-Ata. Kainar.1998. (39s.)
11. Popov N.A. Economics of agricultural production. With the basics of Market Agricultural Economics and Rural Entrepreneurship. Textbook. - M.: EKMOS, 1999. - 352 p. (32-37s.)
12. Tseddies Y., Ugarova A.A. economics of agricultural enterprises. Textbook.- M.: Publishing house of the Moscow Agricultural Academy. 1999, - 400 p. (128-204 pp.)
13. Dedeyeva S.A. Current state of agriculture in Russia [Text] / S.A. Dedeyeva // Vestn. Orenburg. state un-ta. - Orenburg, 2008. - No. 1 (80). - pp. 82-87. - 0.69 pcs. l.
14. Crop production in Russia in 2003 // Russian Agricultural Economics. 2004. No. 3.
16. Statistics website. (Production of main types of agricultural products in households) http://www.gks.ru/bgd/regl/b07_13/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d04/14-12.htm
17. Statistics website. (Production of basic livestock products)
http://www.gks.ru/bgd/regl/b08_11/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d02/15-22.htm
Appendix No. 1
Food consumption in Russia (per capita per year)
In Russia, the actual amount of food consumption has significantly decreased compared to the norm of necessary food products for normal human life.
In 2007, the amount of livestock production in Russia increased compared to previous years. Although the changes are not that significant.
http://www.gks.ru/bgd/regl/b07_13/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d04/14-12.htm
Appendix No. 3
Production of main types of agricultural products in households (million tons)
Considering the production of the main types of agricultural products, in households from 2001 to 2007. There are no particularly significant jumps in the production of crop products. The situation is developing mostly evenly.
Characteristics of agriculture is a description of the leading sector of the agro-industrial complex.
Agricultural production is the material basis for the development of all sectors of the economy. After all, agricultural products are the first condition of life for consumers, producers, as well as any production in general. Therefore, all changes occurring in agriculture indirectly or directly affect the economy of the entire state, and also affect the standard of living of the people living in a given region.
In a market economy, the successful functioning of agricultural enterprises is impossible without analysis and planning of their activities. The characteristics of agriculture are the basis for assessing and analyzing the industry.
There are no standard rules for writing it. Characteristics of agriculture is a generalization of industry development trends, factors influencing its development and existing problems.
Agriculture is characterized by a high level of dependence on natural and weather conditions. Therefore, when compiling characteristics, it is necessary to describe the natural prerequisites for the development of this industry. It is necessary to describe the land resources of the region. Since land for agriculture is the main means of production.
To clearly represent the level of development of the industry, when writing characteristics, it is necessary to determine what type of farming predominates in a given territory. There are many types, which are divided into two groups:
Commercial agriculture. Includes intensive livestock farming and farming, as well as pasture farming.
- Consumer agriculture. More backward. Includes pastoralism, hoe and plow farming, rarely nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralism, as well as hunting, gathering and fishing.
Type I of management prevails in economically developed countries. High-level development in agriculture is based on the achievements of scientific and technological revolution and the creation of an agribusiness system, which is represented by medium and small businesses.
Type II business is represented mainly in developing countries. But it is worth noting that in these countries there are farms and plantations (mostly small businesses) that belong to commercial farming.
The following describes the structure of agriculture in this region. Leading industries are indicated depending on their contribution to gross output. Economically significant and promising areas of agriculture are noted.
There are two main sectors in agriculture:
1. Crop production, which is divided into the production of non-food and food crops. The production of grains is cost-effective. Oilseeds are the next most popular, followed by sugar crops. And in last place are vegetable and fruit crops.
2. Animal husbandry. Popular: cattle breeding, pig farming, sheep farming, poultry farming and fishing.
In conclusion, trends, prospects and problems in the development of the region’s industry are noted.
When analyzing agriculture, attention should also be paid to environmental issues. After all, through the formation of anthropogenic landscapes, people influence the environment. The main types of impact on natural biocenoses during agricultural work are plowing of land and destruction of forests. In addition, there is environmental degradation, land loss, soil erosion and water scarcity due to overuse of intensive agricultural technologies.
Agriculture is the second leading sector of material production. It consists of two main sub-sectors: agriculture and livestock breeding. Agriculture, in turn, is divided into field cultivation, horticulture and viticulture. Livestock farming includes many sub-sectors, but the main ones are cattle farming, pig farming, sheep farming, and poultry farming.
Agriculture is the most ancient type of human economic activity, and the sectoral composition of agriculture has become decisive for the development of various types of human civilizations. There are agricultural peoples and agricultural culture (for example, Egypt, Central America, etc.), coastal peoples and coastal culture (contact coastal zones) and nomadic peoples and nomadic culture (Central Asia, etc.).
There is not a single country in the world whose inhabitants are not engaged in agriculture and related industries - forestry, hunting, fishing.
Around the world, they employ about 1.1 billion people. Due to the diversity of natural conditions and socio-economic prerequisites, there are many types of agriculture (about 50).
Types of Agriculture
In economically developed countries, the following type of agriculture predominates. Transformation of agriculture based on the achievements of scientific and technological revolution and the creation of an agribusiness system, which includes not only the production of agricultural products, but also their processing, storage, transportation, marketing, production of equipment and fertilizers. All this gives the agriculture of developed countries an industrial character. A new type of production has emerged - highly mechanized large farms and factories that work intensively, but cause enormous harm to nature.
In developing countries, traditional consumer agriculture predominates, mainly crop production, with little or no combination of livestock farming. Consumer agriculture is represented by hundreds of millions of small and tiny farms, which usually provide food for a family.
Therefore, developing countries lag far behind developed countries in terms of agricultural intensification. Along with this, it should be noted that in developing countries there are also large farms and plantations related to commercial farming. They are usually located in the most favorable places for growing a particular crop; their production is often oriented more toward the external than the domestic market.
Ecological problems
For thousands of years, humans have had a major impact on the environment.
During the period of extensive development of agriculture, the main type of impact on nature was plowing of land and deforestation. There was a strong negative impact on the environment in China already in the 2nd-3rd millennium BC. The state of Russian forests was already so alarming at the end of the 17th century that Peter I issued a special law regulating logging. But these and many other negative impacts cannot be compared with the consequences of agricultural intensification in the second half of the 20th century.
The active use of intensive technologies has led to environmental degradation, land loss and water shortages.
Soil erosion is a new phenomenon, as many fertile lands are rapidly turning into desert. The world's arable land loses about 26 billion square meters annually. m of land, which is associated with excessive plowing, the use of heavy equipment, chemicalization, etc.
The most effective measures to combat erosion have been taken since 1985 in the United States, when the American Congress passed a law on leasing from farmers and conserving unsuitable land for the purpose of turning it into forests and grasslands.
Irreparable harm to nature is caused by deforestation, which is also associated with the expansion of cultivated areas at the expense of pastures. Forests in the tropics contribute to precipitation and help conserve water and land; when they are cut down, the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere increases, which, along with intense emissions from transport and industry, leads to global warming.
Crop production
The majority (70%) of the food consumed by the modern world comes from crop production. The leading branch of agriculture, the basis of all world agricultural production and international trade, is the cultivation of grain crops - wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats and rye. Their crops occupy 1/2 of the world's arable land, and in some countries - even more (for example, in Japan 96%).
Grain is the main food product, the most important part of feed, and is also a raw material for a number of industries. Modern grain production in the world reaches 1.9 billion tons/year, with 4/5 coming from wheat, rice, and corn.
Wheat is the leader of world grain growing. This culture, known six thousand years ago, comes from the Arab steppes. Now the area of its cultivation is very large - it covers all countries of the world with very different conditions, thanks to the creation of new varieties. The main wheat belt stretches in the northern hemisphere, the smaller one in the southern hemisphere. The main areas of wheat cultivation in the world are the central plains of the United States, connecting in the north with the steppe provinces of Canada, the steppe plains of Argentina, the plains of southwestern and southeastern Australia, the steppes of Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and China. The largest fees come from the USA, Canada, Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. The largest exporting countries are Australia, Canada, Argentina, and the USA.
Rice is the second largest crop in the world after wheat in terms of the size of crops and harvests, and the main food product for most of the world's population (especially the densely populated countries of Asia). Flour and starch are obtained from rice, it is processed into alcohol, and waste from the rice processing industry is used to feed livestock.
It is assumed that rice began to be sown in central and southern China at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. Rice culture has a clear ecological and geographical dependence. To grow it, it requires a hot and humid climate. However, despite the spread of rice across all continents, zones of intensive rice cultivation do not cover all areas suitable for cultivation, but are concentrated mainly in the countries of South and Southeast Asia, which produce up to 90% of the world's rice harvest. China stands out especially sharply, with more than 2 times the collection volume of the next largest country, India. The largest rice producers are also Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and Brazil.
Rice occupies a special place in world trade: developed countries import rice in small quantities, rice trade occurs mainly between developing countries (among developed countries, rice is mainly traded by the USA, Japan, Italy and Australia).
Corn is the main feed crop for livestock farming, especially in the USA and Western Europe. In Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Southern Europe, corn is mainly a food crop. It is also important as a technical culture. Corn originates from Mexico, from where it was introduced to other parts of the world. The main crops are currently concentrated in areas with a warm, temperate or subtropical climate. The world's premier corn-growing region is the US Corn Belt, which extends south of the Great Lakes. The main exporters of corn are the USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina.
Oilseeds. Vegetable oils are extracted from the fruits and seeds of oilseeds, as well as from the seeds of some grains (corn) or fibers (hemp). Oilseed crops include soybeans, peanuts, sunflowers, rapeseed, sesame, mustard, etc. Nowadays, approximately 2/3 of consumed fats are of plant origin. The rapid growth in the production and consumption of oilseeds over the past decades has been associated in developed countries with the replacement of animal fats with vegetable fats, and in developing countries with the low cost of these products.
The largest producers are the USA (1/2 of soybeans), India (1st place in the collection of peanuts), China (1st place in the collection of cotton and rapeseed).
Developing countries, which produce the majority of the industry's products, have noticeably reduced their exports of oilseeds due to the creation of their own fat and oil industry. Many of them are themselves importers of vegetable oils.
Tubers. The most common crop is the potato, which originated in South America, but is now primarily a temperate crop in the northern hemisphere. The world's potato producers are Russia, Poland, China, the USA, India, and Germany.
Sugar-bearing crops—sugar beets and sugar cane—play a huge role in people’s diets, currently providing 60% and 40% of world sugar production, respectively (12 million tons). Sugar cane is cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries, that is, in developing countries, Cuba and China. For some countries, this is the basis of their specialization in MGRT (Dominican Republic). Developed countries produce only about 10% of the world's sugarcane harvest.
In the geography of sugar beet cultivation, the picture is the opposite. The region of its distribution is the temperate climate region, especially central Europe (EU countries, Ukraine, as well as the USA and Canada). In Asia these are mainly Türkiye, Iran, China and Japan.
The most commonly consumed tonic crops are tea, coffee and cocoa. They are cultivated in the tropics (tea also in the subtropics) and occupy fairly limited regions.
Fruit and vegetable crops occupy a prominent place in the economy of many countries; their lands constitute, along with arable land, one of the main lands. As the role of vegetables and fruits in nutrition grows (especially in developed countries), their production and imports increase.
In general, it can be noted that a significant part of oilseeds, sugar, fruit and especially tonic crops enters the world market. Their main exporters are developing countries, and their importers are economically developed countries.
Of the non-food crops, fiber crops and rubber are the most important in the world.
The main fiber crop is cotton, the production of which is led by Asian countries, followed by the countries of America and then Africa.2
Other fiber crops - flax and jute - grow in a smaller area. Almost 3/4 of the world's flax production comes from Russia and Belarus, and that of jute from Bangladesh. The production of natural rubber is especially highly concentrated, 85% of which comes from the countries of Southeast Asia (the main producers are Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia).
A characteristic feature of the agriculture of many countries has become the cultivation of narcotic substances, such as tobacco, opium poppy and Indian hemp. These crops are grown primarily in developing countries in Asia.
Livestock
Like grain crops, livestock farming is widespread almost everywhere, and in the structure of land, meadows and pastures occupy three times more land than arable land. The bulk of livestock production comes from countries in the temperate zone.
The geography of world livestock production is primarily determined by the distribution of livestock. In this case, three sectors play a leading role: cattle breeding, pig breeding, and sheep breeding.
The contrasts in the development of livestock farming in developing and developed countries are even greater than in agriculture.
In most developing countries, livestock farming is a minor industry. In developed countries, livestock farming predominates over agriculture and is characterized by an intensive type of farming. Industrialization, improved food supply and advances in breeding have allowed developed countries to achieve enormous success in increasing livestock productivity. Due to the fact that livestock farming in them faces the same problems as agriculture - overproduction of products, a policy is being pursued to contain and reduce production.
Three branches of livestock farming
The importance of cattle breeding (1.3 billion heads) is that this subsector produces almost all the milk and more than 1/3 of the meat.
In general, we can say that the dairy trend is most typical for densely populated areas of Europe and North America (in the forest and forest-steppe zones of the temperate zone).
Meat and dairy cattle breeding is common both in temperate zones with intensive agriculture and in drier areas that are less well supplied with labor resources. Beef cattle are raised primarily in drier regions of the temperate and subtropical zones.
The most dynamic sectors of livestock farming include pig farming (more than 0.8 billion heads). The successes in pig farming have been so significant that pork is now cheaper than beef. Pig farming is possible everywhere. In Muslim countries, pig farming is practically absent for religious reasons. Typically, this industry is located near densely populated areas, as well as areas of intensive potato and beet growing. Almost half of the world's pig population is found in Asia, primarily China.
Sheep farming (1.2 billion heads) predominates in countries and areas with extensive pastures. At the same time, fine-fleece sheep breeding is most often found in areas with a drier climate and is carried out in steppe and semi-desert pastures. Semi-fine-fleece, meat-wool sheep breeding predominates in areas better supplied with moisture and with a milder climate. The world's largest sheep breeding area is the steppe regions of Australia.
Trade and production
Economically developed countries are significantly ahead of developing countries in absolute terms of livestock production. This is due to lower livestock productivity in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Suffice it to say that they account for only 25% of global beef production and 14% of milk production.
Per capita production of livestock products in economically developed countries is usually many times higher. Small countries with highly intensive livestock production (New Zealand, the Netherlands) stand out especially. But high per capita rates can also be found in countries with more extensive livestock farming and smaller populations (for example, Australia).
Below is a table describing international trade in livestock products. It shows that the leading positions in trade are occupied by economically developed countries; they act as the main exporters of meat products and wool.
Agriculture is a sector of the country's economy, which not only produces the most necessary products for humans, but is also a kind of catalyst indicating the economic development of the state. A high share of the agricultural sector in a country's GDP is usually characteristic of developing and industrially backward countries. The share of agriculture in Liberia's GDP is 76.9%, in Ethiopia - 44.9%, in Guinea-Bissau - 62%.
In economically developed countries, the share of the agricultural industry in GDP is several percent. But this does not mean that these countries are experiencing food problems. Quite the contrary, modern technologies used in agriculture by developed countries make it possible to obtain excellent results with relatively small investments.
In the Russian Federation, agriculture accounts for just over 4% in the structure of gross value added. At the end of 2014, the volume of agricultural production amounted to 4,225.6 billion rubles. Today, more than 4.54 million people work in the country’s agricultural complex, which is 6.7% of all Russian workers.
2014 was one of the most successful years in recent history for Russian farmers. A record harvest of vegetables was obtained - 15.5 million tons. In addition, for the second time, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was possible to harvest more than 100 million tons of grain crops. Last year, this figure was equal to 105.3 million tons, which is almost 14% more than in 2013 and 9% more than the target of the State Program for the Development of Agriculture and Regulation of Markets for Agricultural Products, Raw Materials and Food for 2013 - 2020 "
The structure of Russian agriculture includes two main segments: crop production and livestock production. Moreover, their share in cash turnover is almost the same - crop products make up 51%, livestock products - 49%. In addition, there are three main categories of farms:
- Agricultural organizations;
- Households;
- Farms.
The main share of production falls on agricultural organizations and households, but recently there has been a rapid growth of farms. Compared to 2000, the turnover of farms in the Russian Federation has increased almost 20 times. And in 2014 it amounted to 422.7 billion rubles.
In the field of crop production, agricultural organizations and households have equal indicators of cash turnover, but in livestock farming, agricultural organizations have an advantage, which is achieved by reducing the share of farms.
At the end of 2014, agricultural enterprises had good financial performance. Of the 4,800 enterprises in the agricultural sector, 3,800 organizations ended the reporting year with a profit. In percentage terms, this amounted to 80.7%. The total profit received amounted to 249.7 billion rubles. This amount is almost twice as much as in 2013.
If we evaluate the activities of agricultural enterprises using sustainability coefficients, then here too we see a picture close to ideal. Thus, the current liquidity ratio, which is the ratio of the actual value of current assets held by organizations to the most urgent liabilities of organizations, on average for the industry is 180.1 with an ideal value of 200. Autonomy coefficient, which indicates the share of own funds in the total value the organization's sources of funds is 44.2%, with an ideal value of 50%.
Crop production
Today, the Russian Federation contains about 10% of all arable land in the world. The total sown area of fields in Russia is 78,525 thousand hectares. At the same time, compared to 1992, the total area of arable land in Russia decreased by 32%.
70.4% of all arable land is owned by agricultural organizations. In numerical equivalent, this amounts to 55,285 thousand hectares. Farms account for 19,727 thousand hectares, which is 25.1% of the total. National farms own only 3,513 thousand hectares, which in percentage terms is equal to 4.5%.
All agricultural crops grown in Russia are divided into the following categories:
- Cereals and legumes (wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, millet, buckwheat, rice, sorghum, triticale);
- Industrial crops (fiber flax, sugar beet);
- Oilseeds (sunflower, soybean, mustard, rapeseed);
- Vegetables (cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, zucchini, eggplant, etc.);
- Potato
- Forage crops (forage root crops, corn for feed, annual and perennial grasses)
The largest sown areas in 2014 were allocated to grain and leguminous crops. In percentage terms, the area sown with these crops was 58.8%. In second place in terms of crop area are fodder crops - 21.8%, and the third place is closed by oilseeds, their share in the total amounted to 14.2%.
If we consider statistics by category of farms, the trend here persists only for agricultural organizations and farms. The share of sown grain and leguminous crops was 58.18% and 66%, respectively. In the national economy, cereal crops accounted for only 16.6% of the sown areas. And the leader in sowing was potatoes, accounting for more than 71% of all arable land in the national economy.
The main areas of crop production in Russia are the Volga region, the North Caucasus, the Urals and Western Siberia. About 4/5 of all arable land in the country is located here. If we consider the percentage of enterprises engaged in the field of crop production to the total number of agricultural enterprises, then for federal districts there will be the following data:
- Southern Federal District - 67.1%
- Far Eastern Federal District - 61.9%
- North Caucasus Federal District - 53.2%
- Central Federal District - 50.7%
- Volga Federal District - 48.3%
- Crimean Federal District - 45.9%
- Siberian Federal District - 42.7%
- Ural Federal District - 41.5%
- Northwestern Federal District - 37.4%
Among the regions, the highest percentage of crop-growing enterprises to the total number is in the Jewish Autonomous Region - 80.2%, while the main regions for growing crops have an average ratio of 70%.
- Krasnodar region - 71.9%
- Amur region - 71.7%
- Primorsky Krai - 71.5%
- Stavropol Territory - 69%
- Volgograd region - 68.6%
- Rostov region - 68.4%
Growing grain and leguminous crops plays a leading role not only in crop production in the Russian Federation, but also in the entire agro-industrial complex of the country. Wheat and meslin (a mixture of wheat and rye in proportions of 2 to 1) are the main agricultural products exported by Russia. In addition, grain crops such as wheat, rye, barley, corn, and rice are commodities and are traded on commodity exchanges.
At the end of 2014, grain and leguminous crops were sown on a total area of 46,220 thousand hectares. The total harvest amounted to 105,315 thousand tons. The average yield per hectare was 24.1 centners.
The most important grain crop is wheat. About 700 million tons of wheat are consumed annually in the world. EU countries consume the most wheat - about 120 million tons, China is in second place - about 100 million tons, and India is in third place - about 75 million tons.
Russia is one of the top five wheat producers in the world. In 2014, 59,711 thousand tons of this cereal were grown in Russia. This is the third indicator in the world after China and India. The average wheat yield in 2014 was 25 centners per hectare. This is the highest figure in recent history. Even in 2008, when a record harvest was harvested, the yield per hectare was 24.5 centners.
The second most important cereal for the Russian Federation is barley. It is used in large quantities in the brewing industry and in the production of pearl barley and barley. More than 70% of barley is used for feed purposes.
In 2014, 20,444 thousand tons of barley were grown in the Russian Federation, the average yield per hectare was 22.7 centners.
Corn is the most consumed grain in the world. In recent years, about 950 million tons of corn have been used in the world. The main producer is the United States of America, which accounts for about 1/3 of the world's corn. There are 6 species of this plant in total, but only one is cultivated - sweet corn.
At the end of 2014, Russia collected 11,332 thousand tons of corn for grain and 21,600 thousand tons for feed purposes. The yield of this cereal was 43.6 centners per hectare.
Rice is the most fertile grain. Its average yield is about 60 centners per hectare. The world consumes about 480 million tons of rice annually, and the main consumers are the countries of Southeast Asia. China is in the lead, the Chinese consume about 220 million tons of rice per year, India is in second place, by a significant margin, about 140 million tons, and Indonesia is in third place, about 70 million tons.
In 2014, rice yields were below the world average, but for Russia the figure of 53.6 centners per hectare is one of the best in post-Soviet history. In total, 1,049 thousand tons of rice were harvested last year.
At the end of the 2014 agricultural year, other grain cereals had the following indicators:
- Rye - 3,281 thousand tons were collected with a yield of 17.7 centners per hectare;
- Oats - 5,274 thousand tons were collected with a yield of 17.1 centners per hectare;
- Millet - 493 thousand tons were collected with a yield of 12.3 centners per hectare;
- Buckwheat - 662 thousand tons were collected with a yield of 9.3 centners per hectare;
- Sorghum - 220 thousand tons were collected with a yield of 12.4 centners per hectare;
- Triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) - 654 thousand tons were collected with a yield of 26.4 centners per hectare.
The leaders in grain harvest in 2014 are the southern regions of the country: Krasnodar Territory - 13,161 thousand tons, Rostov Region - 9,363 thousand tons and Stavropol Territory - 8,746 thousand tons.
Oilseeds - as their name implies, are used to obtain various vegetable oils. Three oilseed crops are cultivated in Russia - sunflower, soybean and mustard. In addition, oilseed crops include rapeseed, which is used in the production of biodiesel.
In 2014, oilseeds were sown in Russia on an area of 11,204 thousand hectares. The total crop harvest amounted to 13,839 thousand tons, the average yield was 13.4 centners per hectare. Most of the sunflowers were sown and harvested. 6,907 thousand hectares were allocated for this crop, and the harvest amounted to 9,034 thousand tons.
Oilseed or annual sunflower is a type of sunflower that is grown to produce vegetable oil. Sunflower oil is the most popular type of vegetable oil in Russia and Ukraine. These two countries are the world leaders in the production of this product. In total, about 12 million tons of sunflower oil are produced annually in the world and more than 60% of this amount comes from these two countries. Sunflower oil ranks fourth in global consumption, accounting for 8.7% of global production of vegetable oils.
Soybean oil ranks second in the world in terms of production volumes. And in Russia this crop is the second most important oilseed crop after sunflower. Of all the vegetable oil produced in the world, soybean oil makes up 27.7%. In 2014, 2,597 thousand tons of soybeans were grown in the Russian Federation, the average yield was 13.6 centners per hectare. 10 years ago, the volume of soybean cultivation was 8 times lower than today, and the yield was lower on average by 25-30%.
In 2014, the largest mustard harvest was harvested in Russia - 103 thousand tons. This culture is used to prepare mustard oil, which is widely used in medicine, cooking, and perfumery. Compared to other oilseeds, mustard has low yields. In 2014 it amounted to 6.6 centners per hectare.
Rapeseed is a herbaceous plant of the cruciferous family. It gained great popularity after the invention of biofuels. Rapeseed oil is used to produce this energy carrier. In Russia, the volume of rapeseed grown over the past 10 years has increased more than 10 times from 135 thousand tons in 1999 to 1,464 thousand tons in 2014. The yield of this crop last year was 17.6 centners per hectare of winter rapeseed and 12.5 centners per hectare of winter rapeseed. hectare - spring.
2014 was the most productive year for vegetables; a total of 15,458 thousand tons of vegetable crops were harvested. Also this year, a record amount of cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, garlic and pumpkin was harvested. Total number of vegetables collected for each type:
- Cabbage - 3,499 thousand tons;
- Tomatoes - 2,300 thousand tons;
- Onions - 1,994 thousand tons;
- Carrots - 1,662 thousand tons;
- Cucumbers - 1,111 thousand tons;
- Table beets - 1,070 thousand tons;
- Table pumpkin - 713 thousand tons;
- Zucchini - 519 thousand tons;
- Garlic - 256 thousand tons;
- Other vegetables - 979 thousand tons
On average, the yield of vegetable crops in 2014 was 218 centners per hectare.
Feed crops are grown for the needs of livestock farming, and in the Russian Federation this type of crop is sown in large volumes. In 2014, 17,127 thousand hectares were allocated for fodder crops. This is the second indicator after grain crops. Over the past year, about 62,000 thousand tons of various feeds were collected.
Most of the agricultural land was devoted to perennial grasses. In 2014, 10-80 thousand hectares were sown with them. The resulting harvest - 39,133 thousand tons - was used as green fodder - 30,388 thousand tons (77.6%), and 8,745 thousand tons (22.4%) were harvested for hay.
Annual grasses were sown on an area of 4,582 thousand hectares. The 2014 harvest - 21,650 thousand tons was distributed as follows: 10.6% was used for hay, and the remaining 89.4%, that is, 19,356 tons were used for the production of haylage - grass dried to a moisture content of 50%, preserved in special hermetic containers containers.
Sugar beet is the most important industrial crop for Russia. It is one of the world's two major crops used for sugar production. On average, the world produces about 170 million tons of sugar per year. Moreover, about 37% of all sugar is produced from sugar beets. The leaders in growing this crop are China, Ukraine, Russia and France.
In order to produce 1 kg. A little less than 5 kg of sugar is needed. sugar beets. In 2014, 33,513 thousand tons of beets were harvested in Russia. The yield was 370 centners per hectare. It should be noted that this figure is 16.2% lower than last year, when a record yield was recorded.
Another industrial crop, fiber flax, is used to produce natural fiber. Flax fiber is 2 times stronger than cotton and is the basis of the Russian textile industry. In addition, flax seeds are used to produce flaxseed oil. In 2014, 37 thousand tons of fiber flax fiber and 7 thousand tons of seeds of this plant were collected in the Russian Federation.
Potatoes are the most common edible root vegetable in the world. More than 350 million tons of potatoes are grown annually in all countries. The leaders in potato production are China, India, Russia, Ukraine and the USA. On average, every year there are about 50 kg per inhabitant of the earth. this product. And the leader in potato consumption is Belarus - 181 kg. per year per capita.
Potatoes are the most popular crop grown on households. In 2014, 31,501 thousand tons were collected in the Russian Federation, while 80.3% - 25,300 thousand tons were grown on household farms. Last year was also marked by the highest potato yield, on average it amounted to 150 centners per hectare.
Livestock
Livestock farming is a branch of agriculture that supplies the country's food and light industries with raw materials. The main activity of livestock farming is raising livestock for slaughter. About 260,000 thousand tons of meat are consumed annually in the world. In developed countries, consumption averages 70 - 90 kg. meat per person per year, and in developing countries this figure barely reaches 40 kg. in year. The leader in meat consumption is the United States - about 120 kg. per person per year.
In Russia, meat consumption averages about 70 kg. per person per year. Although Russians prefer pork of all types of meat, the most consumed meat is poultry (mainly chicken). This is primarily due to the high cost of pork.
When it comes to egg consumption, Russia is on the same level as countries such as Germany and Italy. On average, residents of these countries consume about 220-230 eggs per year. But in terms of consumption of milk and dairy products, Russians are significantly inferior to residents of European countries and the United States. In the Russian Federation, the annual consumption of these products is about 220 kg. per year, while in France and Germany, which occupy the first places on the list, the consumption of dairy products is at the level of 425 kg. per person per year.
Livestock farming in Russia is represented by 4 main sectors:
- Cattle breeding - raising cattle for the purpose of producing meat and milk;
- Sheep farming - raising livestock for meat and wool;
- Pig farming;
- Poultry farming is the raising of poultry for meat and eggs.
The bulk of the livestock is raised in large agricultural organizations. Parity is maintained only in cattle breeding. The number of heads of cattle in households and agricultural organizations is approximately the same - 8,672 and 8,521 thousand heads, respectively. At the same time, there are more cows on household farms - 4,026 thousand heads, while agricultural organizations have a livestock of 3,431 thousand heads. In poultry farming, agricultural organizations account for 81% of the livestock, and in pig farming - 79.9%.
Cattle breeding is the most important branch of Russian livestock farming, accounting for 60% of gross turnover. Dairy, meat and meat and dairy breeds of cattle are bred throughout the country. Breeding a particular breed depends on feeding conditions, therefore, in different regions of the Russian Federation, animals are raised that are most adapted to local conditions.
Dairy cows are bred in areas located in forest and forest-steppe zones. First of all, these are the Northern, Northwestern, Volga-Vyatka and Ural regions. The Vologda region is a region where dairy cattle breeding is most developed; it is not without reason that this region is famous throughout Russia for its dairy products. Dairy farming accounts for more than 70% of all agricultural products in the region.
Meat and meat and dairy breeds of cows are bred in steppe regions and adjacent semi-deserts. The main breeding centers are the Central Black Earth region, the North Caucasus region, the south of the Urals and Siberia.
The total number of cattle at the end of 2014 amounted to 19,293 thousand heads. This is 2.2% less than in 2013 and 3.3% less than in 2012. Since 1990, the number of cattle in Russia has been decreasing; over 25 years, the number of heads has decreased by 2.5 times. This is primarily due to the reluctance to invest in this industry, since they pay off in 8-10 years. For comparison, in poultry farming investments pay off in 1-2 years, and in pig farming in 3-4.
But despite the reduction in livestock, Russia continues to be among the leading countries in this indicator. True, the Russian cattle population is only 5.91% of the Indian one.
Sheep farming is a branch of livestock farming that has become widespread in the mountainous and arid regions of the Russian Federation. The centers of sheep breeding are the North Caucasus and the semi-desert regions of the Southern Urals.
Unlike cattle breeding, breeding of small ruminants in Russia is gradually gaining momentum. Compared to 2000, the number of sheep increased by 10 million heads and at the end of 2014 amounted to 22.246 million heads.
Pig farming is most widespread in the Central Black Earth, Volga-Vyatka and Volga regions of the country. That is, in areas where cereal crop production and the cultivation of fodder crops are developed. The leader in pork production in the Russian Federation is the Belgorod region - about 26% of the total Russian volume is produced here. There are 4 types of pigs bred in Russia:
- Sebaceous;
- Meat;
- Ham;
- Bacon.
The total number of pigs in the Russian Federation at the end of 2014 amounted to 19,575 thousand heads. In total, the world's pig population numbers more than 2 billion heads. About half of the livestock is in the countries of Southeast Asia (China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar), about 1/3 is in the EU and CIS countries, and the USA accounts for about 10%.
Poultry farming is the most dynamically developing branch of Russian livestock farming. The increase in the number of livestock began at the beginning of the 2000s and over 14 years it increased 1.5 times. Today, poultry meat is the most popular in Russia. And the livestock reaches 529 million heads.
But besides Russia, poultry meat is the most consumed in Australia, North and South America. For example, in the United States, the level of poultry meat consumption is almost 55 kg. per year per person - this is more than 3.5 times the world average consumption.
In addition to meat, poultry farming provides the population with eggs. The average productivity of one laying hen in 2014 was 308 eggs per year. In general, 41.8 billion eggs were produced in Russia over the past year. This performance has been maintained for several years.
Export and import of agricultural products
Compared to 2013, exports of Russian agricultural products increased by 14% and amounted to 19.1 billion US dollars. But, despite such significant growth, the amount of imports in this sector of the economy exceeds the level of exports by more than 2 times. At the end of 2014, exports of agricultural products amounted to $40.9 billion, which is 9.1% less than in the previous year.
The main share of Russian exports consists of crop products. About 2/3 of exports are from grain crops. In 2014, Russia exported more than 22 million tons of wheat. This is the third world indicator after the United States and the European Union.
The overall increase in wheat exports from Russia compared to 2013 increased by 60%. The main grain deliveries were carried out by sea, and the rating of Russian grain exporters is as follows:
- LLC "International Grain Company". The share in exports is 12.79%, the port of shipment is Temryuk.
- Trading house "RIF". Share in exports - 7.78%, ports of shipment - Azov (61.33%), Rostov-on-Don (38.67%).
- Outspan International. Share in exports - 7.24%, ports of shipment - Novorossiysk (51.58%), Azov (26.26%), Rostov-on-Don (13.96%).
- Cargill. Share in exports - 6.96%, ports of shipment - Novorossiysk (66.71%), Rostov-on-Don (21.91%), Tuapse (11.28%).
- Aston company. Share in exports - 5.46%, ports of shipment - Rostov-on-Don (76.38%), Novorossiysk (16.26%).
In addition to grains, Russia exports a large volume of sunflower oil. About 25% of the produced product is exported, that is, about 1 million tons. Russia also exports exclusive goods: black and red caviar, honey, mushrooms, berries.
Among the imported food products, the majority are meat and meat products, fruits, vegetables, fish and fish products. The decrease in imports in 2014 was due to sanctions, as well as the import substitution program. True, it is not possible to replace all products with domestic ones, since due to climatic conditions it is impossible to grow them in Russia. Basically, import substitution affected livestock products. In general, imports for this industry were reduced by 10%.
In 2015, it is planned to further reduce food imports. For these purposes, the state commissioned production facilities specializing in the production of products that are not typical for Russia. Now in Tatarstan they produce Parmesan cheese, in Altai they produce Camembert and mascarpone cheeses, and in the Sverdlovsk region they have launched the production of a meat delicacy - jamon.
Industry development prospects
Despite the excellent harvest in 2014, Russian farmers should not delude themselves. The agricultural sector has always been one of the most difficult to develop, and given the vast territory and varied climatic conditions, a lot of effort remains to be made to improve the agricultural sector in Russia.
First of all, we need to attract investment in the agricultural sector. Now, due to a lack of equipment, a significant part of arable land is not cultivated. In some regions there are only 2 tractors per 100 hectares of arable land. Due to low profitability, livestock farmers are forced to reduce the number of cattle, which leads to an increase in meat imports.
Another factor slowing down the growth of the Russian agro-industrial complex is the high price of fuels and lubricants and problems with transportation. After all, the crop must not only be grown, but also collected, delivered to a storage location and stored. Depending on the type of crop, more than 40% of products spoil during transportation and storage.
In addition, due to the large territory of Russia, problems with the redistribution of agricultural products very often arise. For example, in the Far East in 2014, a large soybean harvest was harvested, but it is not yet clear what to do with it. After all, there are only two large processing plants in the region, and it is not profitable to transport the product to the European part of the country, since it is cheaper to bring soybeans here from Brazil.
The problem of highly qualified personnel is still relevant. Low wages and difficult working conditions increase the outflow of workers from this industry. There is also a lack of scientific support for this segment of the economy.
But, despite all the difficulties, the government of the Russian Federation has set a task for farmers in 2015 to improve the results of 2014. To provide the country with its own agricultural products, it is necessary to increase the number of cattle by 2.3 million heads, poultry by 11 million heads, and collect 3 million tons of grain more than was collected in 2014.
Read briefly and to the point about the agricultural market on Answr
Stay up to date with all the important events of United Traders - subscribe to our
Russia is a huge state, whose borders extend over more than seventeen million square kilometers. The world's largest country in terms of territory has the richest natural resources, fertile soils and forests, rivers and lakes, pastures and meadows. Russia has amazing potential for agricultural activities. This is a priority area that is now receiving close attention. That is why today we want to talk about agriculture. Agricultural sectors, priority directions for their development - all this is valuable information for those who want to connect their future with natural production.
Main directions
Today, there are a huge number of directions in which you can move and develop, producing this or that product and selling it to the appropriate consumers. Moreover, it is in Russia, with its vast areas and resources, that the least developed area is agriculture. Agricultural sectors are constantly developing, new ones are emerging, which means that every businessman has the opportunity to choose the niche that he likes best.
So, from time immemorial, this huge sector has been divided into two macro-industrial complexes. These are crop production and livestock production. In turn, each of them will be divided into dozens of industries. A distinctive feature of agricultural activity is its high dependence on external factors, in particular on agroclimatic conditions. They determine not only the geography, but also the specialization of production. If you decide to run your own business, then think about the prospects that agriculture opens up for you. There are a wide variety of agricultural sectors, from traditional to exotic ones in the form of pineapple plantations and shrimp farms. But they all have one thing in common. The product produced will always be in demand.
Crop production as a branch of agriculture
Many thousands of years ago, man learned to cultivate the land and plant the seeds he found in order to obtain a large harvest of the same crop. Since then, agriculture has not lost its relevance. Many kilometers of hectares of land sown with various plants - this is how many of us imagine agriculture. Agricultural sectors can be very diverse, they are distinguished by the amount of required investments and profitability. But all crops grown are important and necessary.
In which areas is it developed?
Mostly, land for arable land is given over to the forest-steppe and steppe zones of the country. Agriculture has pronounced zoning. This is understandable: growing beets or potatoes in the tundra is very problematic. But this is not the only reason. The problems with the development of agricultural sectors lie in the fact that without the immediate proximity of the final consumer, only large farms can exist that have the opportunity to export their products to cities. Therefore, a suburban type of agricultural economy has developed near large populated centers. And in the northern regions, greenhouse farming is developing.
The European part of Russia is the most favorable region. Here the agricultural areas are located in a continuous strip. In Western Siberia they are found only in the southern regions, in the Altai valleys. The central region is an ideal place for growing beets and potatoes, flax and legumes. Wheat is grown in the Central and Volga-Vyatka regions, in the Volga region and the Urals, and in the Caucasus. In more northern regions, rye and barley are sown.
Features of domestic crop production
It is in Russia that more than 1% of all arable land in the world is located. Huge territories, different climatic zones - all this allows the country to be an exporter of a wide variety of crops. Crop farming as a branch of agriculture specializes in growing useful, cultivated plants. It is based on grain farming. Grain is a product that is in maximum demand on the world market. More than half of the total sown area in Russia is occupied by grain crops. And of course, the leader among them is wheat.
Agriculture in Russia is, first of all, golden fields on which future grain is eared. Hard and soft varieties are grown. The former are used for the production of bakery products, and the latter for pasta. Winter and spring varieties are grown in Russia, the total productivity is 47 million tons.
In addition to wheat, agriculture in Russia is the world's largest exporter of other grains and legumes, sugar beets and sunflowers, potatoes and flax.
Meadow growing is an important branch of crop production
Not everyone will remember the importance of growing meadow grasses for hay. But it is precisely this that is the basis of livestock feed. Today, the area of grazing land is decreasing, and even private livestock farms purchase hay for their animals for the entire season. What can we say about large farms where animals do not leave their stalls?
Meadow farming as a branch of agriculture today is still completely undeveloped. Entrepreneurs prefer to simply buy or lease land and mow the grass that grows on it in a timely manner. However, if you take advantage of the achievements of modern agricultural science, you can get rich herbs, which means you can make more hay from a smaller plot of land. But that's not all. Targeted sowing of the land with the necessary herbs, as well as the use of modern fertilizers, make it possible to mow young and succulent grass many times in a row from the same area. There is a saving of useful space and obvious benefits.
Industrial crops
Not all plants are used for food, but this does not make them any less useful. Today, growing cotton is becoming increasingly popular in Russia. The agricultural sector is quite new for our latitudes, but it has great prospects. Of course, because the need for natural fabrics is only increasing.
The climate of the Stavropol Territory is best suited for growing this crop. In fact, this is not a new direction in crop production at all. In the 1930s, more than 120 thousand hectares of cotton were cultivated here. At the same time, the harvest amounted to more than 60 thousand tons of raw cotton. Today this practice is being revived in the region, although it has not yet reached such a scale.
The second large section is livestock farming
Most entrepreneurs decide to start farming, considering this direction to be more profitable. Indeed, meat, milk, eggs and valuable furs are sold very quickly, at a decent price. But do not forget that livestock farming is a branch of agriculture that will require special knowledge, extensive experience and the help of professional livestock specialists. Any mistake costs a lot of money. Poor-quality feed will lead to poor growth of young animals; a delay in vaccination can cause the death of animals.
Features of livestock farming in Russia
All countries are, to one degree or another, exporters of meat and other food products. This is not surprising, since livestock farming is the branch of agriculture that is most in demand. High-quality food products will never be left without their end consumer. At the same time, in the vast expanses of Russia, livestock farming is completely dependent on crop production, since this industry is the natural producer of feed. Therefore, each region specializes in raising one or another type of animal.
Reindeer husbandry is developed in the North. In the central zone of Russia, cattle breeding for both dairy and dairy-meat production is widely represented. In more southern regions, small livestock are mainly raised for meat. This is due to the presence of rougher feed. Goats and sheep are raised in mountainous areas.
Zoning
Continuing to consider what branches of agriculture there are, we never cease to be amazed at how many options livestock farming offers businessmen. Pig farming is widely developed almost throughout the country. This is one of the most productive sectors of the livestock complex. This is due to the fact that pigs grow quickly, are unpretentious, and their meat is common and even preferred in Russia.
In the Kuban and Don region, horse breeding is a traditional industry. Moreover, we are talking specifically about breeding. Today this industry is in decline, although it is very promising. In suburban areas, as well as in the cities themselves, poultry farming is developed almost everywhere. There are several directions here:
- Breeding poultry for feathers (down).
- For meat.
- For an egg.
Depending on the choice of the entrepreneur, they raise chickens, geese and ducks. However, today new branches of agriculture have emerged. Some farms have been converted into ostrich or peacock farms. These are completely new directions, so livestock breeders have to learn all the intricacies of keeping them literally from scratch.
In forest areas, of which there are more than enough in Russia, fur farming is developed. For these purposes, huntsmen keep mink, arctic fox, and sable. Squirrels, martens and beavers are caught under natural conditions.
Beekeeping: features and prospects
Beekeeping products are in great demand; if you have even a few hives, they will bring a stable income. However, don't delude yourself too much. Beekeeping is a branch of agriculture that requires significant experience and knowledge. In addition, in order to receive a truly valuable product, you need to live in an ecologically clean area, preferably in the mountains, where there are lush meadows nearby. Professional beekeepers allocate an area of 120 square meters for an apiary.
In fact, the state of this industry in our country is far from ideal. Despite its huge area, Russia produces much less honey than, for example, Mexico. Although we have an abundance of luxurious meadows with honey plants and fruit trees. That is, there is a basis for the development of beekeeping in our country; we just need to realize the potential of our natural capabilities. And this can only be done by injecting investment into this industry, as well as creating special training centers. After all, only strict adherence to technology allows beekeeping, year after year, not only to maintain, but also to increase the number of colonies, and therefore the volume of products obtained.
Expert assessments
Today, the demand for high-quality honey on the market is about a million tons per year, and existing farms provide only 200 tons. That is, there is a shortage of fresh honey in almost all regions. It is covered by imports, so there is room to grow.
An acute shortage of honey leads to traders selling counterfeits, which interferes with the correct formation of prices for finished products. Of course, this hurts the pockets of novice beekeepers. Few people know that beekeeping in our country is an extremely profitable business. Only 15-20 families are enough to be profitable at the end of the season. However, we have no state support for beekeeping at all, as, for example, in Europe. Therefore, a novice businessman is left alone with emerging problems. They are completely solvable, but they require time and money.
Fishing in Russia
No, we won’t talk now about amateurs who are ready to sit with fishing rods along the banks of rivers and reservoirs all weekend. We are interested in fishing as a branch of agriculture. It is common to think that fishing takes place somewhere on the shores of China, India and Japan, where delicious marine life is found, and their catch brings fabulous money. But in Russia, fish production is carried out regularly. To do this, specialized minesweepers go to sea. They return to ports with rich booty, which is distributed fresh or frozen or used to prepare canned food.
Among the commercial fish that are caught in Russia, there are red (salmon, white fish) and white (pike, pike perch, catfish and carp, crucian carp). The most important commercial fish belong to the herring and cod families. Fish from the carp, salmon and sturgeon families are of great commercial importance.
Fish farming
In fact, this branch of agriculture is not very developed in Russia. This is primarily due to climatic conditions. But today, paid ponds have become increasingly popular. These are artificial reservoirs that are regularly stocked with certain species of underwater inhabitants. For a certain fee, you can spend several hours or even days on such a reservoir and catch the desired trophy.
Fish farming includes activities such as breeding at all stages of the life cycle, rearing and maintaining broodstocks. Equally important are activities such as acclimatization and selection.
Why is the potential not realized today?
Indeed, you involuntarily ask yourself this question. All branches of agriculture in the world are more developed than in Russia, despite the richest resources and vast areas. Why is this happening? According to experts, the field of agricultural business today has four main problems:
- Climatic features. Our country is the only one in the world that includes eight natural and climatic zones. Only 30% of Russia's territory has a favorable and relatively predictable climate, which allows farming without risk.
- Financing. If in European countries the state sponsors a start-up business and takes on part of the risks associated with its development, then in our country lending to peasant farms is going extremely poorly.
- Shortage of agricultural machinery fleet. Most small farms are forced to partially or completely use manual labor because they cannot afford to purchase equipment.
- Management factors. Often, the head of a peasant farm is a person who does not have an agricultural or veterinary education. As a result, operational efficiency, and therefore profitability, is much lower.
As you can see, there are many problems. However, the domestic manufacturer is accustomed to overcoming difficulties. If even in such conditions people achieve good results, it means that this niche in the market is free and you can safely try to realize yourself in it.
Instead of a conclusion
Agriculture as a branch of the economy is a large complex aimed at providing the population with food and clothing. The most important industry, it is a reflection of the development of the state as a whole. After all, meeting the basic needs of the population is a priority task for any country. Russia has amazing potential to provide products not only to its citizens, but also to export them. However, today many sectors of agriculture are experiencing problems. It should be noted that the government today has paid attention to this trend and is making efforts to correct the situation, so big changes may await Russia. In fact, the future development of the country depends on the level of personnel training, as well as on agricultural subsidies.