Why Russia Wants Scots Farmers Regional Governormakes Offer of Cheap- to-Rent Land
By BRIAN DONNELLY
WITH the promise of cheap land, it might just be a steppe in the right direction for adventurous Scottish farmers.
The governor of Russia?s Penza region, 500 miles southeast of Moscow, yesterday visited Edinburgh to make a personal appeal to the Scottish farming community to set up business on his patch.
Vasiliy Bochkarev, the government leader for the region, urged farmers to take out longterm leases there as the community struggles to modernise the agricultural industry after years of neglect following the collapse of communism.
Land there, some of which has not been farmed for more than eight years, is being leased at a fraction of the cost it is here. In one example, permission to farm prime arable land under a 49-year lease could cost L200 an acre.
Although leases vary, it is thought similar land here would be around L50-L80 an acre . . . just for a single year.
Mr Bochkarev told guests at a seminar: ?I would like to invite you all to Penza and will help with your investment. ? He said the cost of living was low and opportunities great as the country attempts to reduce its annual L6bn food import bill.
He also insisted that language would not be a barrier: ?Just wave your hands and there is understanding. ? He added: ?Many students like English as much as Russian.We have many young people speaking English, especially in the last five years. ? Crop farming is already under way and cattle rearing and leisure activities such as hunting and fishing are planned. Penza has a long history but the modern 20,000 square mile region was established in 1939 and has a population of around 1.5 million.
The average temperatures is 18.5degreesC in summer but plummets to an average of -11degreesC in winter. Forests cover about half of its north-east territory, while the south-west is typical Russian steppe.
So far Richard Willows, from Lincolnshire, and Colin Hinchely, from Nottinghamshire, are the only British farmers in the region after setting up business there four years ago.
MrWillows, 53, said: ?The farms are gigantic in comparison to the UK.We are near to operating at full production which we hope to achieve in the next year. Workers are good and the area benefits from the workwe provide. ? Mr Hinchely?s farm is half the size of his home county. Their 30,000-acre farm grows wheat, barley, sugar beet, sunflowers and soya.
The move follows similar attempts in the 1990s to take British farmers to eastern Europe as they struggled to rebuild their agricultural industries.
Anna Davies, of the National Farmers? Union Scotland, said: ?We have heard of this new phenomenon although we?ve not actually encountered any farmers who are planning to move to Russia. It is more common for farmers to go to Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
However, given the cost of land over here and the difficulties that new entrants face, as well as the red tape within the industry, it wouldn?t be surprising if a few people were considering moving to Russia to take advantage of cheaper, great quality land.
It is also easy to see why there is demand for the expertise of Scottish farmers. However, it would be a real loss to Scottish agriculture if we were to lose these people.
It’s far better for Scotland to secure a sustainable future for its farmers so that they remain here and benefit Scottish agriculture. Serious thoughts ABERDEENSHIRE farmer George Green, 45, who has around 900 acres outside Inverurie, has already visited Penza and is seriously considering a move ?under certain circumstances?.
He said: I am not married so I wouldn’t have a problem with relocating. But I don’t think I am in a position individually to make an investment. But perhaps, as part of a group, it would be more attractive to me. ? He said farming is his life but he is also under pressure . . . as is the entire industry in Scotland and across the UK.
I was born on a farm so you could say I?ve been farming all my life but I have only been farming on my own behalf for about 12 years. We will just have to see how things work.
My main concern (with Penza) is that the land is only being offered as a lease. ? But he added: ?The farms are so much bigger and the soil is some of the best you can get. ? Great potential RUSSIAN farmers say they hope to have the same success as British farmers in future years, as more modern techniques are introduced to the former communist state.
Stanislav Frolov, a grain farmer 70 miles south of Penza city, the capital of Penza region, said: ?For Russian farmers, it is the development of infrastructure that is very important for us here and Russia in general now; the logistics of supplies.
It is also sharing experience and technology. In rural areas of Russia technology is outdated.
Scottish farmers will benefit with opportunities in terms of increasing their output and developing because the land potential to be explored is so huge here in Russia. ?
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