Struggling Amgin farmers receive long-awaited funds, yet face potential financial losses.
In the cold and vast region of Yakutia, farmers are facing challenges due to delays in agricultural payments and a decrease in milk procurement volume.
According to Igor Petrov, a farmer from Pokrovka village, Amgin district, the delay in payments has caused him a significant loss of around 300,000 rubles. He had hoped to use the funds to properly winter his cattle and horses, but the delay has left him in a difficult position.
The issue seems to stem from a lengthy coordination process in the Il Tumen, the regional government of Yakutia. The Il Tumen authorities have stated that such delays are normal due to the need to transfer money from the approved budget.
The delay in payments is not the only concern for Yakutia's farmers. The volume of milk procurement has decreased this year, despite an increase in procurement prices. This trend is contributing to rural poverty in the region.
The subsidy rate for milk production in Yakutia has been increased from 60 to 65 rubles per kg of product, effective from January 1, 2024. However, this increase seems to have done little to alleviate the current issues.
Changes in the normative legal acts regulating the provision of state support were introduced on February 28, affecting 48 types of direct subsidies and grants. Among these changes, at least 14 types of subsidies allocated through the administrations of uluses and cities were affected.
Farmers in the Amga district, Tattinsky, and Oymyakonsky uluses have faced these problems. Igor Petrov, for example, received 65 rubles per liter in subsidies and 15 rubles for butter from the single supplier.
The subsidy for one cow in personal subsidiary farms has been increased from 37 to 39 thousand rubles per year, and in Arctic regions, it has been increased to 45 thousand rubles per year. Despite these increases, the funds for January, February, and March were originally supposed to be received on the 18th of the respective months, but were only received in the second quarter.
The Il Tumen State Assembly supports the increase in expenses for agriculture this year by 500 million rubles, with the approval of the Head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolaev. A total of 14 billion 933 million rubles has been allocated for the development of agriculture in the republic's budget for 2024.
However, the search results do not contain information about the leader of Il Tumen or the date when they were elected this year. This lack of transparency adds to the concerns of farmers who are struggling to make ends meet.
Petrov believes that money could have been transferred after the first and second readings, which were at the end of last year. He also criticizes the current government management, stating that it is contributing to the decline of agriculture in rural areas.
After editing and translation into the Yakut language, the law was sent for approval to the government and the head of Yakutia on March 13. At least three months were spent on these procedures. The Il Tumen authorities have stated that such delays are normal due to the need to transfer money from the approved budget.
These challenges faced by Yakutia's farmers highlight the need for more efficient and timely agricultural support in the region.
