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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: How is the spring sowing campaign coming along? This is the main issue today.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev: Mr President, thank you very much. I have prepared a special presentation that outlines the overall situation in agriculture and the environmental sector.

I will begin with the spring sowing campaign, of course. The sector is operating quite steadily. Under the 2026 plans, we aim to sow crops over an area of 83 million hectares. The area sown with winter crops in 2025 was 20 million hectares, and 97 percent of winter crops have survived the winter in good condition. This bodes well for a good harvest in 2026.

The spring sowing campaign has faced challenges in several regions due to adverse weather conditions, but farmers used all good weather windows to catch up. To date, they have sown over half of the planned areas.

It is extremely important during the sowing campaign to promptly supply our farmers with all the necessary resources. The Government has coordinated a set of measures to this end.

I would like to emphasise that we will continue the subsidised leasing projects to maintain the availability of agricultural equipment. The amount of equipment supplied under these projects this year is nearly 50 percent larger than last year.

There is another interesting topic I wanted to mention. Since 2026, we have been developing a network of vehicle and technology stations based on the Rosagroleasing state company. In fact, enterprises of this kind existed back in the Soviet era.

Vladimir Putin: They were called MTS [machine and tractor stations].

Dmitry Patrushev: Exactly.

Their mission consists of leasing machinery to farmers for performing specific tasks. What matters most is that these machines are provided when they are needed. First, this helps people save money, which is particularly important for smaller farms. Second, of course, this ensures that the entire fleet is used effectively. Today, these enterprises operate in 27 regions.

At the same time, it goes without saying that we keep a close eye on the availability of fuel for seasonal fieldwork. We have extended a special regulatory framework for preserving stability in the mineral fertiliser market.

Of course, there is an ongoing transition to Russian seeds within our agricultural sector. Since 2022, the availability of domestically produced seeds has increased from 60 percent to 70 percent, and there have been serious breakthroughs for some plant varieties which used to rely on foreign seed material, including sugar beets, sunflowers and canola.

Let me add that we have been creating the so-called agricultural biotechnology parks in recent years. They operate as unique clusters where academia can work with businesses on specific science-intensive or capital-intensive agricultural topics.

We already have one such undertaking. It is focused on developing biotechnology. We did not have anything like this before, unfortunately, but we are getting there now. In 2026, another platform is expected to launch its operations for developing innovative solutions to speed up the selection processes.

There is another thing I wanted to highlight. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Russian Meteorological Service have been using a digital platform to deliver weather updates to farmers. This is very important. There is also an effort to develop private meteorological stations, considering that every hour counts in farming. I believe that farmers will benefit from broader opportunities moving forward.

As I said at the beginning, weather has a huge impact on the planting season. Our meteorologists can share information about the best time for planting to make sure that all the machines are ready.

Mr President, if I may, I would like to report on the other industries within the agricultural sector. Earlier this year, several regions encountered certain problems attributed to the spread of diseases. However, the situation has now stabilised. The production dynamics in animal farming are generally at the level we saw last year. The same is true for animal products.

Consequently, our domestic market is fully secured. We also prioritise global food security and supply our products to our foreign partners. The current dynamics are better than the previous year. Export proceeds are almost 25 percent higher year-on-year. Performance indicators are also growing in physical weight – and significantly so.

We expect to export 60 million tonnes of grain during the next agricultural season, from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027. This is a commendable result.

Furthermore, I want to draw your attention to the fact that we are developing agricultural technology supplies, which is something we have not done before. First of all, I am referring to the export of seeds, genetic and pedigree material. We can offer quite a number of quality products that are highly valued abroad. Last year alone, we increased exports of these products by 40 percent. To be fair, the initial base was rather low; however, a 40 percent increase is still substantial.

Mr President, I would like to add that our agricultural sector is open to implementing digital solutions. This strategy has helped to boost labour productivity quite significantly. Of course, it has a positive impact on process effectiveness and production volumes.

Some 24,000 partly unmanned units of equipment are currently deployed in the fields. Artificial intelligence and computer vision have found applications in animal farming. Processing facilities extensively use robots.

Mr President, while focusing on technological development, we do not forget about improving the quality of life in rural areas for the people who live and work there. A dedicated state programme has been in place for this purpose for six years. I should note that United Russia has provided considerable support throughout this period. Our colleagues are widely involved in rural development matters.

Mr President, in view of this year’s projects, the state programme will cover 13,500 residential areas and 20 million people in one way or another.

Our villages are being continuously modernised, with upgraded schools, kindergartens, sports and cultural facilities, as well as new roads. More than 6,000 infrastructure facilities have been built or modernised. Two hundred thousand families have already moved into new homes. It goes without saying that we will continue these projects in rural areas.

Mr President, that is all I wanted to report regarding the agricultural sector. But there is an entire block of issues concerning nature conservation and the environment. If I may, I can report on them as well.

Vladimir Putin: How is our Clean Water programme progressing?

Dmitry Patrushev: Mr President, the construction of treatment facilities is one of the key areas in improving the health of water bodies. We will continue to upgrade existing treatment facilities to meet required standards, and in 2026, the construction and upgrade of several more facilities will begin.

Systematic efforts to clean up water bodies are already under way. Our major national project, Environmental Welfare, also covers the construction and upgrade of hydraulic structures. This helps secure reliable water supplies in the arid regions of our country. Importantly, relevant work has already begun in the Lugansk People’s Republic. We will also be building similar facilities in the Omsk Region, where I recently paid a visit.

Irrigation work on the Volga‑Akhtuba floodplain is ongoing. In addition, design work for facilities in the Kursk Region, Krasnodar Territory, and Crimea is planned for this year.

If I may, the issue of forestry is also of great importance to us. For the sixth consecutive year, we have maintained a rate of reforestation that exceeds forest loss. By 2026, Russia is expected to have over one million hectares of new forest. We therefore fully expect to sustain this important trend.

That said, wildfires remain a challenge. To improve the coordination of efforts, we have been working for the past two years within a nationwide headquarters format, involving the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the regions, and all relevant agencies.

Vladimir Putin: What about creating green belts around major conurbations?

Dmitry Patrushev: Mr Putin, we are also actively addressing this issue, particularly around major cities – following your instruction. Most importantly, we are using domestically produced seedlings there.

Vladimir Putin: Another very sensitive issue for people is Clean Air. This involves 12 cities, right?

Dmitry Patrushev: Right.

Vladimir Putin: Speaking of air quality, there are 29 more cities where we are planning and implementing specific measures under the Clean Air initiative. What have we achieved so far?

Dmitry Patrushev: Mr President, indeed, the Clean Air initiative initially involved 12 industrial centres, where hazardous emissions have already been reduced by more than 20 percent thanks to our efforts.

In the second stage, as you rightly noted, coverage has been expanded to a further 29 cities. To achieve this, we will be transitioning the private sector to more environmentally friendly heating systems, and polluting industries will be equipped with modern purification systems and automatic emission controls. So, we are continuing to make progress on this front as well.

Vladimir Putin: Good.

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