Crop insurance may become mandatory for Russian farmers applying for loans at preferential rates.
Currently, insurance companies and banks are negotiating new conditions that borrowers will need to meet if they want to receive a short-term agricultural loan.
One of the key conditions should be the availability of an insurance contract confirming the fact that the crops are insured.
This topic was already discussed at a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture, according to experts. 2026 has been declared a preparatory period during which all parties must develop the necessary standards and establish working mechanisms.
Crop insurance will likely become a prerequisite for farmers to easily access preferential lending in the near future.
The essence of the new requirements is that the farmer must provide the bank with a completed crop insurance contract within 30 days of the loan being issued.
Experts believe such a scheme should be beneficial for all market participants. First and foremost, it protects the interests of farmers themselves, as crops can always be damaged or even destroyed due to weather conditions or other factors.
For example, last year in the Rostov Region, agricultural producers faced a devastating drought that destroyed significant tracts of land. Ultimately, those companies that insured their crops in advance benefited.
This situation, in many ways, served as a catalyst for the development of the new rules, analysts note.
Many farmers then approached the Ministry of Agriculture with a request to extend their preferential loans. This prompted the idea of encouraging agricultural producers to take out insurance policies more actively.
The idea of linking their availability to access to preferential loans could become the incentive that ultimately leads to crops being insured across most of the country.
Furthermore, this scheme protects the interests of lending banks, as it protects them from a situation where, due to crop failure, the borrower will not have the funds to meet their obligations.
For insurance companies, this not only expands their clientele but also allows them to increase their funds, which, in the event of a large-scale crop failure, they could use to assist a significant number of companies.
According to the latest data, the share of insured crops in Russia was only 19% in 2025. This figure is expected to reach approximately 30% by 2030.
