04 July 2025, 16:27

Belarus, Russia to launch joint project in livestock breeding

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food

MINSK, 4 July (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia will launch a joint project “Breeding Aggregator: Digital Platform for Large-Scale Cattle Breeding”, the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food told BelTA. Belarus’ Minister of Agriculture and Food Yuri Gorlov held a working meeting with Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Oksana Lut on the sidelines of the international agricultural industry exhibition All-Russia Field Day 2025 in Volgograd.

A cooperation agreement was reached between Belarusian and Russian scientific organizations in the field of livestock breeding.

Cooperation in seed selection and production at the regional level is on the rise. The Belsemena enterprise handed over samples of Belarusian corn hybrids and potato varieties for planting in demonstration fields in the Udmurt Republic, Sakhalin Oblast, Astrakhan Oblast, Leningrad Oblast, as well as in Altai Territory and other regions of Russia.

In addition, the parties discussed progress to act on the 2024-2026 action plan to implement the Union State Treaty. The development of supranational legal acts continues, which includes the Union State agreement on agrarian policy and a list of import substitution projects in agriculture. The parties also touched upon other key areas of trade and economic cooperation in the agricultural industry, including seed selection and production, and the dairy market.

“The Russian Federation remains a key trade and economic partner for us. We appreciate the continuous assistance and collaboration in trade and economy,” said Yuri Gorlov.

In 2024, trade in foodstuffs and agricultural raw materials between the two countries increased by 13.4%, and in January-April it went up by 14.5%. Belarus’ exports rose by 19.2%. During this period, 119,600 tonnes of meat and meat products and more than 1.3 million tonnes of milk and dairy products were delivered to Russia.

Particular attention was paid to the Union State balance sheets for meat and dairy products, the implementation of which is proceeding at an accelerated pace. At the end of the meeting, the parties confirmed plans to enhance their agricultural cooperation. This commitment involves expanding their collaboration across all key areas of agricultural focus, with the support and coordination of relevant Union State structures. The Belarusian side pointed out that it has the necessary capability to consistently produce a sufficient quantity of high-quality products to meet Russia’s market demand.