Bashkortostan Ministry of Agriculture announcing sowing cost in 2025

The Bashkortostan Ministry of Agriculture has estimated the cost of the upcoming sowing campaign to be 30 billion rubles, 25% more than last year. Spring fieldwork in 2024 will cost the region's farmers 24 billion rubles.

"Everything is getting more expensive - seeds, fuel, fertilizers, plant protection products, and wage costs are growing. Farmers have no financial reserves, and the revenue from the last harvest will amount to about 100 billion rubles. Enterprises cannot afford to take out commercial loans. Still, fortunately, the federal Ministry of Agriculture has provided us with an unlimited loan at 6.8% for small businesses and up to 11% for medium and large businesses. Since November 2024, we have received preferential loans for 11 billion rubles. We are waiting for the opening of the next limit, and by April 1, we will take at least another 15-17 billion rubles. This way, we can carry out the sowing campaign,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Bashkortostan Ilshat Fazrakhmanov.

According to him, 2.8 million hectares of arable land will be sown. However, fewer winter crops were sown in the fall than usual—280 thousand hectares (and not about 600 thousand hectares)—since the harvest was significantly delayed due to weather conditions. The minister noted that this means more work will be in the fields in the spring.

Farmers have had to work in stormy conditions in recent years—with an unpredictably changing climate and an economic crisis. The main task, he said, is to avoid overproduction and achieve profitability.

“Costs are growing, but purchase prices for products are not. Over the past few years, grain has cost an average of 10 thousand rubles per ton, sugar — 55 rubles per kg, sunflower 33-35 rubles per kg. Wholesale prices for meat and milk are also insufficient for a normal level of profitability,” the Deputy Prime Minister commented.

In recent years, the republic has been producing food raw materials approximately 2.2 times higher than its needs, and the more products, the less they cost, Ilshat Fazrakhmanov recalled. Other problems may arise: he cited the record sugar beet harvest situation as an example. Thanks to the implemented technologies and abundant rains, enterprises achieved an unprecedentedly high result - 2.6 million tons of root crops. However, two sugar factories usually process 1.7 million tons of raw materials. Now, they work around the clock, but the companies will not receive a profit - there are a lot of products, and the price for them will not increase.

Author: Elina Akhmetova