Currently, much attention is paid to the development of the agricultural industry in Russia. In recent years, the Chelyabinsk region is among the ten best regions of the Russian Federation for food production. Just ten years ago, agriculture in the Chelyabinsk region was in serious decline. Now there is a sharp increase in the agro-industrial sector of the region. The region during this time has become one of the leading in the Russian Federation for the production and sale of agricultural products.
The main trends in the development of agriculture
In the region with the aim of creating modern technological production, 17 investment projects are being carried out. They mainly relate to such sectors of the agro-industrial complex as crop production, animal husbandry and poultry farming. In recent years, significant attention has been paid to the modernization of the technical equipment of the industry and the introduction of new resource-saving technologies. In addition, the management system is being improved by technological processes in the leading agricultural sectors of the region, which entails a reduction in costs and an increase in the volume of production.
The government and the Minister of Agriculture of the Chelyabinsk region actively support the agricultural industry by purchasing new combines, tractors and various equipment and leasing them to local producers.
The use of resource-saving equipment contributes to the economy of fuel and lubricants, the provision of a sparing regime for tillage, and the solution of the problem with the lack of highly qualified personnel. Thanks to modernization, agricultural enlargement is taking place; organized brigades of machine operators are created to process large sown areas. At the same time, the issue of rural employment is being addressed.
Structure
Agriculture of the Chelyabinsk region depends primarily on the climatic conditions of the zones of the region (mountain, steppe or forest-steppe), as well as on the soil cover. In the steppe zone, which is characterized by an arid climate, the least resource-intensive is the cultivation of grain.
Dairy cattle breeding prevails in the forest-steppe zone, while grain growing has the smallest share in the structure of agriculture, which is associated with a humid climate that does not contribute to a good grain harvest. Beef cattle breeding prevails in the structure of the branches of the northern forest-steppe.
Plant growing
In 2016, in the structure of crop production in the Chelyabinsk region, the largest share belonged to spring wheat (68.47%), potatoes (37.2%), spring barley (21.73%), and vegetable growing (11.87%). In 2016, 1947.7 thousand tons of grain were produced. At the same time, last year's indicator increased by 14.7%. The collection of vegetables amounted to 230.2 thousand tons, and potato production - 722.0 thousand.
Livestock
In livestock farming in the Chelyabinsk region, for the most part, pig breeding, poultry farming and livestock breeding predominate. According to statistics, at the end of December 2016, the industry numbered 270.8 thousand heads of cattle, which is 5.1% less than in 2015. Beef cattle breeding and egg production increased significantly. By the beginning of 2017, the availability of feed was 9.7% less than last year.
In addition, in 2016 there was a significant increase in the sale of livestock and poultry in live weight (465.4 thousand tons), milk (142.7 thousand tons) and eggs (1329.1 million units).
Agricultural Problems
Agriculture of the Chelyabinsk region has a number of serious problems:
- The consequences of the economic crisis and the drought of recent years negatively affected the financial stability of the agro-industrial complex.
- Inadequate development of market infrastructure.
- Instability of agricultural product markets.
- Inadequate private investment.
- Low rates of industry modernization.
Agriculture of the Chelyabinsk region: prospects and measures to solve problems
The following measures can be proposed to solve problems in the agricultural sector:
- Grain production can be increased extensively, that is, due to additional arable land. This is possible, since many areas of the region are currently abandoned. This event will not only lead to an increase in sown areas, but also increase the production of inexpensive feed, which in turn will lead to an increase in the meat and dairy industry of livestock.
- Intensive development will be relevant for dairy farming. This will form a large livestock in the suburbs. As a result, the technological and economic efficiency of dairy production will increase.
- As for beef cattle breeding, an increase in the number of herds will be effective only when using industrial technologies, which is typical for Dubrovsky OJSC. Other farms are more relevant to introduce resource-saving technologies.
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Chelyabinsk Region has developed a program for the development of the agricultural sector for 2013-2020, the forefront of which is to increase the competitiveness of the agricultural sector in the domestic and foreign markets through the introduction of innovations.
Thus, the Chelyabinsk region is recognized as a well-developed agricultural region. Currently, agricultural products of the Chelyabinsk region are uncompetitive in the market, so it is precisely the improvement of its quality and the reduction of production costs that are the priority areas for the innovative development of the agricultural sector. The Department of Agriculture of the Chelyabinsk Region pays significant attention to creating favorable conditions for the development of entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. In particular, households are given loans under preferential programs for the development of agriculture, and subsidies are also provided. In addition, the government has provided measures for the development of land reclamation of agricultural importance, which allows us to guarantee the receipt of products and not depend on weather conditions.
