According to experts, the Russian Federation has every chance to double rice production over the next few years.
Currently, the average rice harvest in the country is approximately 1-1.1 million tons per year. This was stated by Igor Lobach, Chairman of the National Rice Union. According to him, rice has many advantages over other crops.
Firstly, it has good profitability, so farmers are interested in growing rice.
Secondly, rice has a higher harvest stability: since it is grown using irrigation technologies, drought or heavy rains can hardly damage the rice field.
Finally, it is possible to grow this crop even where others are hardly possible. This applies in particular to saline or wetland areas.
The main disadvantage of growing rice is the dependence on irrigation and the services of enterprises supplying water.
According to Lobach, if suppliers offered more favorable tariffs for water, this could increase the motivation of farmers to engage in this crop.
What are the prospects for growing rice in Russia?
In general, the Russian Federation already achieved self-sufficiency in rice in 2008, the main part of which is today produced in the Krasnodar Territory.
However, nothing prevents us from increasing our export potential. According to Igor Lobach, Russia is quite capable of bringing rice cultivation to the level of 2 million tons per year, but this requires joint efforts of business, government and science.
One of the urgent tasks is to increase the area under rice.
To produce 2 million tons per year, you need about 310 thousand hectares under rice, and for this you need to increase these areas by 75 thousand hectares.
At the same time, there are unused areas that can be reclaimed and put back into operation. For example, in the Rostov region there are about 7 thousand hectares of such rice systems.
Another serious problem is the availability of high-quality seed material, which will provide higher yields and raise it from at least 54 tons per hectare to 65 tons per hectare.
In order for such seeds to appear, it is necessary to develop science, train and attract highly qualified specialists.
As for the state, it is important for it to ensure those very favorable water tariffs, which significantly affect the profitability of farmers.
If all these conditions are met, we can expect that a doubling of rice production in the Russian Federation will occur in the near future.
