Russian Agricultural Sector Research Articles

Leasing impact on transformation processes in the Russian agricultural sector under sanctions pressure

At the present stage, the issues of sustainable development of the Russian agricultural sector and strengthening its technical potential in the context of sanctions pressure are becoming especially relevant. One of the most useful tools in solving these problems is leasing. The purpose of this article is to analyse promising directions for the development of leasing as the effective form of technical support for agricultural production in the current conditions. The study has used general scientific methods (analysis and synthesis, economic and statistical, graphical, etc.). The main trends now emerging in the domestic market are highlighted from the point of view of manufacturers of agricultural machinery and goods. With consideration to the current situation in the domestic market, decreased prices for agricultural products and rapid growth of prices for agricultural machinery, the most promising areas for the use of leasing mechanisms have been proposed to help accelerate technical re-equipment in the agricultural sector: application of leasing solutions in the agricultural industry that have already been tested and proven successful in other market segments (for example, subscription, agrocarsharing, etc.); combination of leasing mechanisms with trade-in programmes which make it possible to comprehensively solve issues not only of updating machinery and tractor fleet, but also of recycling worn-out agricultural equipment; use of leasing mechanisms for the development of machine and technological complexes as a modern form of joint use of machinery in agriculture which allows accelerating technical equipment of the industry. The proposed directions can help ensure systemic development and quicken the technical re-equipment of the Russian agricultural sector.

Features of State Support for the Agricultural Sector in Russia and Other Countries in the Context of Structural Changes in the Economy

The implementation of structural changes in the economy is conditioned by modern conditions characterized by numerous challenges of a geopolitical, socio-economic and climatic nature, endangering the national security of States. This is manifested in changes in the distribution of factors of production, in the production of gross value added by sectors, the search for new markets for products, which causes the transformation of conditions that determine economic dynamics, that is, an increase in the importance of some sectors and a decrease in the importance of other sectors. Thus, in Russia in 2023 there was a large-scale structural shift, with the manufacturing industry becoming the main driver of the economy. There is a potential for economic growth in the country based on structural changes caused by a change in the technological level of production and the transformation of foreign economic relations, which is true for all sectors of the economy, including the agricultural sector. Currently, this sector is particularly faced with issues of ensuring food security, maintaining agricultural producers’ incomes, technological sovereignty, introducing resource-saving technologies, establishing new transport and logistics routes, diversifying production in accordance with changing demand, increasing the competitiveness of agri-food products on the world market, and exporting products with high added value. In the current circumstances, government regulation is especially necessary aimed at improving the institutional conditions for the development of the agricultural sector of the economy and the agri-food market, creating an effective management apparatus at the governmental and regional levels for the successful implementation of strategic directions for the development of the sector, including increasing costs for basic science and long-term technological developments and the development of industrial cooperation both within the country and with foreign partners.

Entrepreneurship in the Russian Agricultural Sector

Entrepreneurship in the Russian Agricultural Sector

Оценка технико-технологической составляющей сельского хозяйства: методологические подходы разработки

Abstract. The purpose of the research is to substantiate the need for an assessment of the technical and technological component of agriculture, as well as the development of methodological approaches to its implementation. Methods. To achieve the goal of the study, such methods of scientific cognition as monographic, abstract-logical, institutional, analysis and synthesis, generalization of data were used. The information and theoretical and methodological base was made up of normative legal acts and strategic programs for the development of the industry, the works of domestic and foreign scientists and economists. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the research consists in substantiating the need to assess the technical and technological component of the agricultural sector of the country as a basis for the development of state projects and programs for the modernization of the industry in the transition to a new technological order. Methodological approaches are proposed for assessing the level of technical and technological development of the industry at three levels: federal, regional and the level of an economic entity. Results. The article substantiates the need to assess the technical and technological components of agriculture. The current state of the agricultural machinery industry, the main results of its work in recent years are analyzed. In order to identify problem areas and potential growth points of domestic agricultural machinery, its SWOT analysis has been compiled. It is noted that the modern Russian agricultural sector has a high dependence on imported machinery and equipment. To ensure the ability of the domestic agricultural machinery industry to replace imported supplies of machinery in the shortest possible time, it is necessary to expand and improve state support. In order to work out the most effective working directions and tools of state support in a particular region, a reliable assessment of the level of technical and technological development of the agricultural sector is necessary.

НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ ПО РАЗРАБОТКЕ ПРОГНОЗА РАЗВИТИЯ ТЕХНИКИ И СИСТЕМЫ МАШИН ДЛЯ МЕХАНИЗАЦИИ И АВТОМАТИЗАЦИИ ПРОЦЕССОВ В ЖИВОТНОВОДСТВЕ

Russian livestock products occupy a leading place in total agricultural output. Despite of a significant decrease in producing volumes in compared to the prereform period (1990) - total milk from 55,7 mln tons in 1990 till 32,3 mln tons in 2021, livestock and poultry’s live weight from 15,6 mln tons till 14,6 mln tons, eggs from 47,5 mln units to 44.8 mln units and the number of livestock (especially cows, sheep and goats) - the share of the industry in total agricultural output remains at 47-48% level. In the postreform period, main groups of commodity producers’ role and proportion have changed. The Russian livestock products’ main producers before the USSR liquidation were agricultural organizations in the of collective and state farms (collective farms and state farms) form, where 82,7% of cattle in total and 74,5% of cows, 81.5% of pigs, 70,5% of poultry, 72,3% of sheep and goats were concentrated; 75-79% of products there, and only 21,6-24,8% in households were produced. Subsectors of livestock perform important social-and-economical and technological functions. Livestock and feed production facilities are like the rural population permanent employment sphere and on this basis the rural settlements’ stability function performing and rural lifestyle preservation are made. Currently, about 4,0 million people are permanently employed in the livestock’s subsectors. Due to animals and poultry the number of collapse process reforming, there the in Russian agricultural sector more than 38,0 thousand rural settlements were eliminated, and more than 12,5 th settlements remain without a population; rural population’s proportion from 26,4% in 1990 till 25,2% in 2022 (from 38.9 mln people to 36,7 mln people) were decreased.

The financial aspect of the innovative development of the agricultural sector of the economy

The competitiveness of the agricultural sector of the Russian Federation in the future depends on strategic decisions in the field of innovative development. The article examines the state of financing innovative activities in the agro-industrial complex, and also provides a comparison with the leading countries of the world in this industry. The strategy of innovative development of the agricultural sector is proposed, the emphasis is on attracting public and private investments in scientific research and financing, primarily the processing industry, agricultural engineering and domestic startups. The strategy of innovative development of the agricultural sector is proposed to be implemented in stages. The first stage is aimed at the industrialization of the agricultural sector, the second at the construction of world-class processing enterprises, the third at the formation of a national innovation system, the fourth at the evolutionary transition to sustainable agroecological development and its priority financing. The strategy of innovative development of the Russian agricultural sector and the possibility of financing the introduction of innovations by agri-food enterprises are considered, which will increase competitiveness and profitability. In order to support the innovative development of the agricultural sector, it is proposed to use benefits for exporters of innovative products. The introduction of benefits will increase the demand for innovative products and increase the export of agricultural goods with high added value. The method of calculating the index of benefits and the amount of benefits that are provided to both the investor and the manufacturer is proposed.

The synergistic effect of innovation transfer in the agricultural sector: Regional aspect

The article considers the concept of “transfer of innovations”, taking into account the specifics of the Russian agricultural sector and its basic structural elements. Its stages are highlighted, starting from the technology audit and ending with signing a contract and selling the technology to an interested partner. The reasons for the slow pace of transfer of innovative agricultural technologies and their impact on the effectiveness of the agricultural sector are explored. Promising technology transfer mechanisms in the agriculture are examined, considering their importance for this sector of the Russian economy. The author’s approach to systematization of the main areas for improving the transfer of innovative technologies in the agricultural sector in the country’s regions is offered and their importance to the regional economy is emphasized. The sources of the synergies occurring during the transfer of innovative technologies are identified and further promising research trends in this field are determined.

Export potential of the Russian agricultural sector to the Persian gulf countries

Export potential of the Russian agricultural sector to the Persian gulf countries

Institutional responses to the challenges of the Russian agro-industrial complex

The work is devoted to the complex issues of the influence of the theoretical prerequisites of institutional and neo-institutional economic theory on the sustainable development of the agricultural sector. The purpose of the work is to substantiate the scientific theoretical foundations of institutional and neo–institutional economic theories as the basis for regulating the agricultural sector. The methodological basis of the study is an integrated approach, which examines the challenges facing the Russian agro-industrial complex and possible institutional solutions to emerging barriers. The conceptual foundations of the institutional movement at the first stage of its development and their relation to state regulation are shown. The main provisions of the theory of dirigisme and new industrial society are shown. The scientific foundations of the neo-institutional school of economic theory are formulated. It is shown that the main institutions require maximum attention from the state to ensure their functioning, sustainable long-term development of the economic system, and the social well-being of the country’s citizens. The main functions of the state, its boundaries and effectiveness conditions in the new institutional theory are defined. The main institutional mechanisms for improving institutions in the Russian agricultural sector to ensure long-term sustainable economic growth are identified: market institutions; national institutes of economic development; state institutions of economic growth in the agricultural sector; institutes for reducing volatility. The presented model allows, unlike traditional approaches, to be based on the historical development of the institutional environment, which allows to assess the justification for changing institutions in agriculture; allows to assess the compatibility of ongoing institutional changes with the established institutional environment.

Identification of Economies of Scale in Regional-Industrial Production Complexes of Russia: Theoretical Foundations and Econometric Estimates

International economic sanctions against Russia are aimed at blocking such a vital phenomenon as the scale effect. In this regard, it is necessary to search for internal reserves for the manifestation of this effect and use it to simultaneously stimulate economic growth and technological progress. The aim of the article is to develop a simple toolkit to identify the scale effect for any industries and regions of the Russian Federation in order to identify the most promising territorial-industry clusters, investments in which can give the maximum return in terms of production efficiency growth. The proposed method was tested by constructing universal econometric dependencies for the agricultural sector in 82 regions of Russia. The obtained quantitative results of the elasticity of labor productivity by production volume made it possible to map the country's agriculture into more and less promising regions. In addition to the effect of scale, the use of an additional factor - the achieved technological level of the region relative to the national average - allowed us to assess the possible structural effect of investment injections into the regional cluster of enterprises, to refine the applied calculations and to select 22 most promising subjects of the Russian Federation, of which 7 regions are capable of becoming the technological driver of the Russian agricultural sector of the economy. These calculations made it possible to draw a map of the most promising industry clusters in Russia. The issue of organizing the borrowing of advanced agrarian technologies within the country - from the advanced regions and enterprises to the lagging ones - is discussed. The inverse relationship between the achieved technological level of enterprises and the value of the scale effect has been established, which indicates the gradual exhaustion of this effect in the process of technological progress.

Russian Agricultural Exports: Economic and Statistical Analysis

The article presents the results of an economic and statistical analysis of Russian agricultural exports from 2012 to 2021 – a period of intensive growth during which revenue in foreign markets doubled, and the country entered the top twenty leaders in food exports. The in- fluence of the factors of physical volume and price on the dynamics of exports of products from the agricultural sector of Russia is analyzed, and a change in the assessment of the contribution of individual product categories to export growth was revealed when recalculating indica- tors from current prices to comparable prices. It has been established that average prices for Russian agricultural products are half the world pri-ces, which leads to a lack of income from the export of agricultural products for Russia (on average, about 4.9 billion US dollars per year for the last five years). The main reason for this deviation is that a significant share of the structure of Russian food exports is made up of products with a low degree of processing. Additionally, there is a situation with lower prices for some Russian goods of a comparable range, primarily in the food and processing industries.An assessment of the risks to the sustainability of Russian agribusiness in the event of a disruption in export supplies showed that, given the low level of development of intra-industry trade, domestic production remains quite vulnerable to a potential reduction in exports when foreign trade restrictions are introduced. If trade chains are broken, only 20% of exports can be redirected to the domestic market to replace imports.An analysis of the achievement of targets for the development of Russian agricultural exports in 2016–2021 was carried out and indicates that, despite its significant overall growth during the period under study, in some years its dynamics lagged behind the values established in state programs, even considering their repeated adjustments. This is largely due to the dependence of the growth of Russian exports of agricultural products on the increase in the production of grain and oilseeds, which is influenced, among other things, by random weather factors. Thus, based on data for individual years, it is impossible to judge the success or failure in the implementation of Russian agricultural export devel- opment programs, and the methodology for assessing the achievement of target indicators itself requires improvement.

Modern issues of horticulture as the most important component of food security of Russia

This article analyses the content of the most important component of the national agricultural industry — private subsidiary farms. The author relies upon the idea that the development of horticulture is an inexpensive and stable strategy that allows to improve the food security of households by providing them with quality and environmentally friendly personally made food. According to the estimates of the Union of Gardeners of Russia, 125 million Russians belong to families receiving products from the land they cultivate themselves, or to those going to help their relatives in summer. At the same time, according to Rosstat estimates, if the entire volume of agricultural production at actual prices in 2022 preliminarily amounted to 8.851 trillion rubles, households account for 2.071 trillion rubles at actual prices (i.e. a quarter of all products). Today, in the conditions of increasing pressure of sanctions on the agricultural sector of Russia, horticulture is of great importance for achieving the principal parameters of the country’s food security. The article shows that there is a signifi cant decrease in the number of both farms themselves and indicators of production effi ciency for personal consumption and for sale. Being a practitioner — chairman of an allotment society and a leading expert of the Federal Center for Agricultural Consulting, the author highlights the main issues, regulatory and legal restrictions that signifi cantly hinder the development of households, in particular: the inability to use the "dacha amnesty" for most allotment gardens, serious cadastral errors, the growth of abandoned land plots, as well as legislative innovations related to restrictions on keeping of farm animals and birds on garden plots.

Анализ развития цифрового образования в аграрной сфере России

The article discusses the aspects of development of digital education in the agricultural sector of Russia. The trends in the formation of the digital ecosystem of domestic education are presented and analyzed, and the problems of digital education in agricultural universities are formulated. The results obtained prove that digital education not only shapes the educational ecosystem, but also determines the vector of training for future specialists.

Experience of technical development of obtaining cold as a component of national food security

A priori, the fact remains that the current situation of the development of the agricultural sector in Russia is certainly connected with ensuring food security. This article reveals the historical and technical experience of solving the issues of providing cold and operational manufacturability of modern storage facilities, including a buried type, taking into account the dynamics of development and improvement of the qualities of cryogenic equipment. The article assesses the possibility of optimizing the temperature regime of storage facilities on the basis of expanding the functional potential of existing devices and introducing new production systems integrated on the basis of an alternative gravitational-type drive, the operation of which is carried out due to the cyclical formation of volumetric masses of liquid in storage tanks before it is supplied to the consumer, as well as air flow formation systems in natural cold conditions.

Совокупная факторная производительность в сельском хозяйстве регионов России

The Russian agricultural sector needs to improve production technologies, increase the share of high added value products in the structure of production, reduce unit costs, improve labour efficiency, and implement effective management innovations. Issues of unit cost reduction deserve special consideration. In this regard, the present study examines the development of the agricultural sector by using an indicator of total factor productivity (TFP) as a measure of efficiency. The article aims to determine the differentiation of Russian regions by TFP based on the author’s assessment methodology. An analysis of TFP dynamics revealed some regions that achieved indicators exceeding the national average, as well as leading and lagging regions. The highest total factor productivity growth in 2011–2020 was observed in Pskov, Penza, Oryol, Ryazan oblasts, Kamchatka krai, etc. The average Russian value of this indicator is characteristic of Sverdlovsk and Astrakhan oblasts. Tyumen and Sakhalin oblasts, Primorsky and Stavropol krais, the Republic of Karelia, Chelyabinsk oblast, Jewish Autonomous oblast, Chukotka Autonomous okrug, and the Republic of Ingushetia are in the group of lagging regions. Factors contributing to Russia’s long-term agricultural growth include effective investment, technological progress, and growing TFP rates. An increase in farmers’ demand for advanced technologies necessary for market share maintenance and survival can be a driver of innovative development. However, if major innovations are poorly implemented, high growth rate of total factor productivity is difficult to sustain; it will gradually decline as the quality of innovation activities decreases.

Статистические ряды РЭБ: обследования сельскохозяйственных предприятий

The article presents unique data on the Russian agricultural sector, which has been gathered by the Russian Economic Barometer for more than 30 years. There is published statistics reflecting the attitude of the heads of agricultural enterprises towards the economic policy of the government. There are presented data revealing the degree of importance for the agricultural producers of various factors limiting production and capital investments.

Статистические ряды РЭБ: обследования сельскохозяйственных предприятий

The article presents unique data on the Russian agricultural sector, which has been gathered by the Russian Economic Barometer for more than 30 years. There is published statistics reflecting the attitude of the heads of agricultural enterprises towards the economic policy of the government. There are presented data revealing the degree of importance for the agricultural producers of various factors limiting production and capital investments.

Статистические ряды РЭБ: обследования сельскохозяйственных предприятий

The article presents unique data on the Russian agricultural sector, which has been gathered by the Russian Economic Barometer for more than 30 years. There is published statistics reflecting the attitude of the heads of agricultural enterprises towards the economic policy of the government. There are presented data revealing the degree of importance for the agricultural producers of various factors limiting production and capital investments.

Digital challenges for new technologies implementation in agrarian Russia

Over the past two decades, the digital divide has been gradually narrowing. However, rural areas still lag behind urban and suburban areas, especially in Internet use and access. The global pandemic of 2020 has exacerbated the effects of the digital divide. As part of this study, logistic regression models were built using data from 2019, 2020 and 2021 to study the digital divide and its predictors. The dependent variable is the number of individuals who did not have access to the Internet in the past 12 months. Average age, gender, income, disability, education and employment are selected as independent variables. The source of data is the annual Russian Monitoring of the Economic Situation and Health of the Population of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (RMES NRU HSE). In rural Russia, lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the impact of the digital divide on rural communities and led to socio-economic consequences due to limited opportunities. As a result of the implementation of social isolation and quarantine measures, lack of Internet access has become a major risk for vulnerable groups of the rural population. As a result, they are deprived of the vital resources they need to overcome the pandemic economically, socially and educationally. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, an increase in the same indicators increases the risk of residents without access to the Internet falling into the group. Such predictors include incomplete secondary education, lack of work, old age and disability. All of them are challenges for further digitalization of the Russian agricultural sector.

Modernization of the granular materials dryer

BACKGROUND: The solving of priority tasks for the development of the agro-industrial complex considers the creation of advanced scientific developments. Innovative research of technical means and technologies of mechanization of agricultural production is not an exception in this regard. In the agricultural sector of Russia, crop production occupies a key place, in which the cultivation of grain crops is a priority. In the whole range of operations in the production of grain, the most important part of it is post-harvest processing of grain. One of the main stages in the post-harvest processing of grain is drying, in which the raw materials are brought to the moisture regain (down to 14%). Proper preparation of grain for storage ensures its reliable safety.
 AIMS: Modernization of the granular materials dryer by means of new technical solution at the level of patentability.
 METHODS: Research of the state of the issue on the topic under consideration with the help of a review of literary sources. Patent search for technical devices of grain dryers. Studying the principle of their functioning and design features. Analysis and generalization of the material for the adoption of a new design solution.
 RESULTS: The use of innovative technologies with the new generation harvesters, characterized by high productivity, has significantly reduced the duration of harvesting, and this, in turn, has significantly aroused the interest in drying. The use of dryers with improved quality indicators of functioning significantly reduces the time for preparing raw materials for long-term storage, reduces grain losses in the field during harvesting, and, in addition, makes it possible to carry out the process of transferring grain from the field to a special long-term storage warehouse in the shortest possible time and with the least losses. There are various ways of drying granular materials. These are main methods based on increasing the temperature of the processed material. Drying of grain with the help of heated air has become the most widespread.
 CONCLUSIONS: As a result of the conducted research, the drawbacks of existing technical devices for granular materials drying, as well as the principles of their functioning, have been revealed. A detailed analysis of literary sources, including a patent search, made it possible to upgrade the processed raw materials dryer, characterized by a simple and reliable design.