The Ministry of Agriculture has developed a project of a digital service for state support of farmers

The Ministry of Agriculture has developed a project to create a digital service for state support of farmers. The document was published on Wednesday on the federal portal of draft regulatory legal acts.

Changes are proposed to be made to the law "On the Development of Agriculture" to implement the possibility for legal entities and individuals to receive state support in the field of agricultural development using information and telecommunication technologies.

“The legal regulation proposed by the draft federal law is aimed at achieving the result provided for by paragraph 1.51 of section 3 of the Passport of the federal project “Digital Public Administration” (...) in terms of creating a regulatory framework for the functioning of the information system of digital services of the agro-industrial complex, which will allow for the transfer to electronic type, acceleration of the processes of obtaining and increasing the effectiveness of state support measures in the field of agriculture, as well as reducing the costs of agricultural producers for reporting and its transfer to electronic form,” the explanatory note says.

The ministry noted that the creation of a digital service will make it possible to inform legal entities and individuals about possible state support measures, form and consider online applications, collect reports, form and maintain a list of state support measures in the field of agricultural development.

“The introduction of an information system of digital services for the agro-industrial complex will reduce the time spent on document flow when receiving state support measures, increase the awareness of participants in the process of providing this state support, and will also contribute to the adoption of effective management decisions by public authorities,” the document says.

The bill provides for a special deadline for its entry into force - January 1, 2022, due to the need to conduct trial operation of the digital service and put it into operation.

Only 8% of farmers met the conditions of state support in 2020

Earlier, Vladimir Plotnikov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues, urged, in the face of rising food prices and overcoming the consequences of the pandemic, to increase state support for farmers per hectare of arable land and a liter of MILK, noting that this is the most important measure that farmers expect from the government.