RSHB assessed the self-sufficiency of the Kaliningrad region in agricultural products

Rosselkhozbank experts studied the food self-sufficiency of the only exclave and the most western region of the country - the Kaliningrad region.

The indicator of self-sufficiency of the Kaliningrad region in agricultural products already exceeds a number of indicators established by the Doctrine of Food Security. Thus, the level of self-sufficiency in grain in the region is 206% (the target level according to the Doctrine is 95%), in MEAT and meat products - 99% (according to the Doctrine - 85%), for potatoes - 99% (according to the Doctrine - 95%).

it is noteworthy that in terms of self-sufficiency in grain, MILK and dairy products, meat and meat products, vegetables and melons, potatoes, fruits and berries, the Kaliningrad region noticeably overtakes the Northwestern Federal District as a whole.

“In recent years, the agro-industrial complex of the Kaliningrad region has made a qualitative leap forward and in many respects is developing at a faster pace. Thus, since 2017, the value of agricultural products produced has grown by almost 62% to 52.3 billion rubles in 2021. This rate is higher than in the NWFD and RUSSIA as a whole. With this result, the Kaliningrad region takes the 3rd place in terms of the value of production in the federal district,” says Andrey Dalnov, HEAD of the Center for Industry Expertise of the Russian Agricultural Bank.

Even more impressive is the dynamics of the directions of the agricultural sector in physical terms: since 2017, the production of cereals and legumes has grown by almost 81% to 714.2 thousand tons, wheat - by 60.5% to 478.2 thousand tons, oilseeds - doubled to 159.9 thousand tons, fruits and berries - by 77.2% to 52.1 thousand tons, livestock and poultry - by 43.2% to 121.5 thousand tons, raw milk - by 30.7% to 229 thousand tons, eggs - by 26.2% to 297.3 thousand tons.

“The result is ensured by consistent and successful steps to modernize the process of production of agricultural products, the introduction of investment projects. Thanks to this, for example, grain yields in the Kaliningrad region have increased by 31.7% since 2017 to 49.8 thousand tons per hectare. This is higher than the level in the federal district (34.3 thousand tons/ha) and the national average (28.5 thousand tons/ha). For the same grains, wheat, oilseeds, production of beef, SUGAR, livestock of sheep and goats, the Kaliningrad region is the leader in the Northwestern Federal District, and for vegetable oil and fish it is among the top five producers in the country as a whole, ”comments Andrey Dalnov.

The consumption of meat, eggs, potatoes, bread products, vegetable oil, and potatoes among residents of the Kaliningrad region already exceeds the level recommended by the Russian Ministry of HEALTH. According to Andrei Dalnov, in the coming years we can expect an increase in the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and milk.

To maintain and increase food self-sufficiency in the Kaliningrad region, about 35 investment projects in crop production, animal husbandry, fisheries and fish farming, food and processing industries, logistics (including granaries, fruit storages) are under implementation and planning.

The policy of import substitution in breeding and genetics is also being implemented. So, in 2020, in the Kaliningrad region, with the support of the RSHB, a selection and genetic center in dairy cattle breeding was opened that meets high international standards.