Considerable positive changes have taken place in agriculture over recent years. A genuinely multi-structured life is now taking shape in rural areas that is based on diverse forms of property and business. New technologies and financial schemes are being introduced and legislation is being modernised.
This year, Russia will have produced enough grain to cover all its own needs and meet all its export commitments.
But the agricultural sector still faces serious difficulties. In particular, millions of hectares of rural land are not being cultivated, the sector needs better tractors and machinery and there is still not a real system in place for restoring soil fertility.