On 7 October, Azot-Agro OOO opened a seed production plant in the Zvyozdny settlement of Kemerovo District. The capacity of the seed production centre is 20,000 tonnes of seeds per year. Ilya Seredyuk, Governor of the Kemerovo Region - Kuzbass, took part in the official launch of the new agricultural facility.
The construction of the new seed production centre on the territory of the agricultural enterprise will be completed in May 2024, investments in the project amount to 430 million rubles.
- The plant was created on the site of the former state farm ‘Zvezdny’. The lands were standing, not cultivated. Now they have been returned to agricultural turnover. The enterprise was equipped with the most modern machinery and staffed with personnel. A lot of scientific work has been carried out. We have developed seeds that are adapted to our soils and natural conditions. This material guarantees high yields. For Kuzbass the opening of its own breeding and seed centre is an important step towards food security, - Ilya Seredyuk commented during the opening ceremony.
The new seed centre will produce varieties of wheat, barley and pea seeds. These are seeds of ‘Super Elite’ and ‘Elite’ reproduction of domestic breeding varieties and seeds of ‘RS-1’ and ‘RS-2’ reproduction of imported seeds. In the perspective of the next year - to start production of rape seeds. The seed plant will operate in a year-round mode with a stop for scheduled repairs in the winter period. It is expected that the enterprise will reach its full capacity in 2025-2026.
- In the next two years, based on the results of the seed plant commissioned today and taking into account the needs of agricultural producers, Azot Group AO will consider the decision to build a second such complex in the Kemerovo region, - said the General Director of Azot KAO Andrey Vishnevsky.
A maximum of 12 people are required to operate a compact seed complex. These are operators of the grain drying complex, mechanisers, truck drivers, agronomist-seed grower. They will monitor the equipment and manage the process online.
At present, the company's sowing area is about 10 thousand hectares, including 185 hectares of experimental production area. With the launch of the seed centre, the maximum amount of land will be used for seed production.
The publication was prepared according to the website of kem-azot.ru