Russia and Germany: We Are Closer Than It Seems the Political Relationship Between Russia and Germany Remains Strained
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June 2018 60 The corporate journal of EkoNiva Group Russia and Germany: we are closer than it seems The political relationship between Russia and Germany remains strained. However, the current tension cannot break the long-established ties and weaken the mutual interest in the areas of economy, culture and human relationship. As if to prove this point, two delegations from Germany visited EkoNiva within the past month, and Russian farmers attended the German Field Days and visited BvL production facilities. Besides, the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce arranged a presentation of German companies operating in Russia at the very heart of Moscow. By the way, the number of these companies is impressive — 5,000! For more detail see pages 7, 8, 10, 12, 13. A perfect duet EkoNiva-Student: reloaded John Deere and Vaderstad demonstrated Four winners of the projects are their best talents in cooperation. getting ready for an internship at EkoNiva. Page 16 Page 7 2 Contents Contents News Technical inspection Livestock farming Organic products The future lies with smart Shopping for the best genetics of the future farming! Up for sale are pedigree heifers.............19 Prospects of organic farming in Russia....4 State-of-the-art technologies at the Field Unrivalled winners! Days in Germany.....................................12 EkoNiva-Tekhnika has won the JCB Dealer Five-star quality Our employees of the Year award....................................... 5 guaranteed by BvL..................................13 New horizons Mission possible! Relying on Fliegl EkoNiva is looking for talented students EkoNiva starts operating in Bashkortostan Russian farmers choose high-quality across the country..................................20 and Tatarstan.............................................. 5 technologies............................................14 Expending to the Far East Experience augmented EkoNiva-Semena has opened a branch reality Sport office in Blagoveshchensk.........................6 View the tools and spare parts of EkoNiva-Student: reloaded! Vaderstad machines in action...............15 Practice makes perfect The winners to do an internship A perfect duet Darya Maiborodina — the Master of in EkoNiva...................................................7 John Deere and Vaderstad demonstrated Sports of Russia in swimming................21 The Masters of Russia excellent performance in Ryazan oblast...16 German companies in the Russian Stay connected business......................................................8 with John Deere mobile RTK modem....17 Our people Early start in agriculture! Farmers heading North A creative run The students of Bobrov school to study Vaderstad tour ........................................17 agriculture...................................................9 Employees of Ekosem-Agrar came second............................................22 Cooperation First-hand experience Our Academy From Baden-Wuerttemberg Innovations from EkoNiva- with interest Semena Welcome to the unique cafe! German guests visited agricultural New highly-adaptive soft winter wheat The Academy of Dairy Sciences invites the operation sites in Russia........................10 varieties...................................................18 guests to visit the dairy cafe...................23 р. 14 р. 21 р. 23 № 60 June 2018 From the first person Expert opinion: a Russian entrepreneur with German roots Excerpt from the speech of Stefan Duerr, President of EkoNiva Group, at the Federation Council on 20th June, 2018 On laws On education Russia needs a new Law on pedigree Sometimes, representatives of agricultural cattle breeding since we cannot keep pace universities tell me that they are going with our colleagues from abroad unless we to visit our enterprise to learn about have a modern efficient law. Agricultural new farming technologies. It is strange producers are also impatient for the new to hear that: as a rule, universities are Law on organic farming to come in force. ahead of farmers in the areas of science and technologies. Unfortunately, a lot of Besides, it is extremely important to universities cannot be ahead because they introduce Amendments to the Law on do have the necessary support from the land regarding vacant land. Very often, government. We have arranged agricultural a piece of private land, which is not put classes in some regions so that children to any use, overgrows with trees. When could learn about agriculture from an early at last the land gets into the hands of a age. It is essential to support colleges and conscientious farmer who wants to work on institutions of higher education. If we want it, the government has to provide subsidies to be a country with advanced agriculture, to clear the land and make it suitable for then Moscow Agricutltural Academy named agriculture again. This leads to the thought: after K. A. Timiryazev must be as good why let those trees grow, in the first place? as Moscow State Technical University Moreover, some negligent land owners n. a. N. E. Bauman, and Voronezh State formally resell the land three years after Agricultural University — as good as the purchase to avoid confiscation. We Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. need to eliminate this deficiency in the law. It is the only possible way forward. On agricultural Agricultural land must belong to those who policy want to work on it. It was challenging to work in the 90s… On balanced In the 2000s, the Russian government started implementing efficient approach agricultural policy aimed at innovative We will probably not be able to work development and economic growth. efficiently without imported machinery, Since then, we have achieved food at least for some years to come. I fully security in many areas and established understand that we need to take counter efficient enterprises, a lot of which measures in response to the sanctions. demonstrate a considerable export However, we can do harm to our agriculture potential. Currently, the President’s by introducing strict limitations on the task for export expansion is absolutely import of machinery and technologies. achievable! Therefore, it is important to assess the possible effect on our farmers when making On rural areas decision on the import of farming machines In the north of Norway, rural areas are and technological systems. On fair competition prosperous and successful because Within the past few years, we have built farming is one of the key priorities in the On young specialists а large number of dairies; we receive country, while in the north of Sweden — If we want young people to work in subsidies and soft loans. However, just across the border — there are no agriculture, we must provide them with all these efforts might prove to be in villages, only boundless tundra, because the same working conditions as in the vain if we do not solve the problem of there is virtually no agriculture. city. A young specialist working at a adulteration of dairy products. We can farming operation must have the same compete with the USA, New Zealand, We have managed to preserve villages in even Belarus if we are talking about true a lot of regions of Russia. Some people number of days off, an annual leave and the same living conditions as in the city. dairy products. However, there is no say, ‘What is the use of developing competing with palm oil. If this situation is agriculture in Kostroma or Arkhangelsk There is a myth that nobody wants not solved in the nearest future, EkoNiva oblasts?’ I am convinced that every region to work in agriculture. It is not true! will cope with it, but many farming must engage in farming because it is the Within the past 4-5 years, the image of operations won’t. It means that next year, only way to preserve Russian villages. agriculture has changed for the better. the number of dairy cows in the country Even though it is expensive and not We can see a lot of young enthusiasts will significantly decrease. In order to always efficient, it is very important for the who are willing to study agriculture and avoid this, we hope for the strictest country and its rural areas. work at farming enterprises. measures against adulteration. № 60 June 2018 4 News any food additives, chemical fertilisers, antibiotics and growth hormones.’ Among the major areas of focus of the NOU are the development of the organic agricultural market, and the promotion Organic products of organic products in Russia, support for producers and the establishment of a legislative framework governing organic of the future farming and consumption. ‘Over the years of work, three State Standards have been adopted, and the The National Organic Union (NOU) has first draft of the Russian law on organic production has been prepared’, says Oleg celebrated the 5th anniversary of signing Mironenko, Executive Director of the NOU. ‘We took an active part in the establishment of the memorandum on its establishment. of this law. Currently, the draft is under review in the State Duma. It is expected to Since then, it has become the leader of the be adopted by the end of year 2018.’ The NOU includes the leading players in organic movement in Russia, having united the industry and the pioneers of organic production in Russia. Among them Stefan like-minded people in a successful team. Duerr, President of EkoNiva Group, and So, what has been done over the 5 years and Savinskaya Niva, organic farming enterprise. ‘We joined the NOU a year ago’, says Stefan what is the future of organic production?