Russian president Vladimir Putin has approved a new doctrine on the country’s food security, updating the previous decree from 2010.
The decree came into force from the day it was signed on January 20. Putin instructed the government within three months to develop and approve an action plan to implement the provisions of the new doctrine.
According to the new doctrine, “Russia’s food security is the state of the country’s socio-economic development, whereby the food independence of the Russian Federation is ensured, the physical and economic availability of food products that meet mandatory requirements is guaranteed for every citizen of the country, in volumes not less than rational food consumption standards needed for an active and healthy lifestyle.”.
In the previous version of the Doctrine, to assess the state of food security, the specific weight of domestic products in the total volume of commodity resources of the domestic market, taking into account carry-over stocks, was used as a criterion. In the new document, the approach has been changed: now food independence is defined as the level of self-sufficiency, which is calculated as the ratio of the volume of domestic production to the volume of domestic consumption of the products.
The document also highlights the interests of the state for the long term. Among them are the sustainable development and modernisation of agriculture and fisheries, agricultural production, feed, livestock breeding, seed selection. Also in the long term, the state is interested in banning the import of GMO, raising and breeding animals whose genetics were changed.
The document also sets thresholds for certain product groups, with self-sufficiency rates of at least:
- 95% for grain;
- 90% for sugar;
- 90% for vegetable oil;
- 85% for meat and meat products;
- 90% for milk and dairy products;
- 85% for fish and for fish products;
- 95% for potatoes;
- 90% for vegetables and melons;
- 60% for fruits and berries;
- 75% for seeds of the main crops of domestic selection;
- 85% for table salt.
The previous version of the food security doctrine did not mention the category of fruits and vegetables.