Nariman Abdulmutalibov and Mukhtarbiy Adzhekov took part in a meeting of the Public Council under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Dagestan

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Dagestan Nariman Abdulmutalibov,Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Dagestan Mukhtarbiy Adzhekov, Deputy Ministers Emin Shaikhgasanov and Zurab Kuchchaev, First Deputy Chairman of the Veterinary Committee of the Republic of Dagestan Sergei Popandopulo, Assistant to the Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Dagestan Alibek Aliyev, representatives of the Ministry of Property of the Republic of Dagestan, FANC of the Republic of Dagestan, agricultural producers , as well as the Chairman of the Public Council of the Republic of Dagestan Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Dagestan Vagab Kazibekov and other members of the Council.
Anticipating the discussion, Deputy Prime Minister Nariman Abdulmutalibov noted that the effectiveness of the development of the agro-industrial complex in the republic and the development of mechanisms for resolving pressing issues depend to a certain extent on the opinion of the expert community. In his opinion, along with good achievements in the agricultural sector, there are also certain problems. Social activists, people who are on the ground, are well aware of the state of affairs and have their own vision of solving certain issues. He also added that the Head of the Republic of Dagestan and the Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Dagestan pays great attention to the issues of interaction between the authorities and public organizations.
During his speech, Minister Mukhtarbiy Adzhekov briefly discussed some of the results of the agro-industrial complex of Dagestan in 2023. The industry showed confident development in all key areas; the volume of gross agricultural output over the past year reached 212.3 billion rubles with a production index of 105.8%. He especially emphasized the role of farmers’ labor in these achievements, simultaneously noting the important contribution of the state to the development of the agricultural industry. In particular, last year, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Dagestan, 2.5 billion rubles of budget funds were allocated for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Dagestan, of which about 2.18 billion were received from the federal treasury. More than 1,300 Dagestan agricultural producers felt the gracious hand of the state; among other areas, the most noticeable increase in state support was observed in vegetable growing, potato growing, horticulture and irrigation.
He went on to list a number of achievements. A very positive aspect is that, due to the advantages of the preferential lending mechanism, it was possible to significantly increase the participation of banks in the activities of the Dagestan agro-industrial complex. Thus, in 2023, more than 2.5 billion loans were issued, which is more than 2 times more than the level of 2022 and incomparably higher than the level of 2021.
Other notable positive results include record year-on-year increases in acreage, yields and gross rice yields. In 2023, 2,370 hectares of arable land were brought into circulation through the construction of new rice engineering systems, the area under white grain was increased to 32.8 thousand hectares, the average yield per hectare increased to 47.8 centners, and the gross harvest exceeded 155 thousand tons.
AgricultureDagestan is becoming more and more resource-efficient every year. Despite the significant increase in prices for agricultural machinery, in 2023, 449 units of agricultural machinery were purchased through various acquisition mechanisms, including state leasing. The total cost of purchased equipment amounted to more than 1.1 billion rubles, which is 165% of the 2022 results.
The republic has confidently become one of the three main fruit producers in the country. In recent years, there has been a systematic growth of gardens in the republic. Thus, last year in the commodity sector it was possible to establish plantings on an area of ​​1,575 hectares.
Further, they talked about the measures taken by the ministry to increase state support funds from the federal budget. They relate to the development of land reclamation, the construction of fruit and vegetable storage facilities and feedlots for sheep, as well as the acquisition of labeling equipment for dairy products. There are shifts in the direction of grant support for agritourism. After which the minister focused on pressing, problematic areas that require urgent solutions.
The importance of agriculture for Dagestan is undeniable. This understanding is present at both the private and government levels. An example of this is today’s achievements in various sectors of the agricultural industry. This is what Vagab Kazibekov, chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Dagestan, thinks. In his opinion, the task of social activists and authorities is to consolidate and strengthen their positions of interaction in order to, based on the opinions of citizens, delve into existing problems and work out approaches to solving them in order to present recommendations to authorities.
Then other public figures took the floor. Social activists raised various pressing issues, noted what and how it should ideally be and who should do it. At some points there was a sense of ignorance. In particular, from a common point of view, the claims of livestock farmers regarding the need to remove the requirement for a certificate of veterinary welfare of the farm in order to receive a state subsidy seem untenable, if only due to the fact that veterinary welfare is the basis of livestock farming, which is also laid down in the targeted federal law. In any case, the state reacted favorably to this issue for the current year and excluded the need to provide a certificate of epizootic conditions from the rules. At the same time, the requirements of the Mercury system have not been canceled; in addition, by September 1 of this year, all livestock must be marked in the Horriot system, with the subsequent inclusion of other farm animals, as well as birds and insects.
In his comments on the topic of state support, the minister noted a rather topical topic. This is the statistical reporting of farms, which is often downgraded to avoid known government obligations. The minister noted that in addition to the tax base, reliable statistical information is the basis for approving the level of necessary government assistance and making strategic decisions in the industry.
The issues of beekeeping development were also raised at the council. Yes, it is a very interesting and useful industry, but when it comes to food security, this area does not occupy the first place. The people need animal proteins and easily grown carbohydrates, suitable for widespread use, both for consumer and economic purposes. This does not mean that beekeeping has been relegated to an inaccessible edge; the requests of beekeepers are perceived, considered and resolved by the authorities.
Many other topics were raised during the event. Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Dagestan Nariman Abdulmutalibov was pleased with the dialogue, after which he noted: “Such events help to establish interaction between authorities and the public. Many questions were raised on horticulture, livestock farming, further development and strategy of the agro-industrial complex. I really liked the fact that members of the public council not only presented their vision of certain problems, but also proposed ways and mechanisms for solving them. Based on the proposals and recommendations voiced, we will prepare an appropriate list of instructions.”