The Russian government continues to make loud statements about supporting agriculture - this time the first deputy minister of agriculture stressed the need to develop seed production. At a recent meeting of scientists and seed breeders, the deputy minister said that they must provide farmers with high-quality Russian seed supplies and the ratio of seeds in the market must be changed in order to compete with foreign selection.
The market share of imported seeds ranges from 20% to 80%, depending on the crop, currently 70% of sugar beet seeds, 28% of corn, 44% of sunflower, 23% of vegetables and up to 80% of potatoes are imported. The Minister noted that national seed breeders need to master modern technologies in order to ensure control over the production and circulation of seeds. This is probably a fair comment, but it is worth noting that it was not reported how seed financing will be reported. This can be a costly and time consuming process. 
