Organic agriculture is in the focus of development

On May 26-28, 2023, the X Nevsky International Ecological Congress was held in St. Petersburg . The organizers are the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, the operator for the preparation and holding of the event is the Roscongress Foundation.

The Congress has traditionally been held every two years since 2008; it has become a platform that brings together the state, business , science, and experts in discussions on solving acute environmental issues. Since 2013, the International Agroecological Forum has been held as part of the Nevsky International Ecological Congress.

In 2023, the Congress was attended by more than 1500 participants, which is twice as many as at the previous Congress in 2021. The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin addressed the participants with a greeting: “The effective management of natural resources is the basis for the sustainable development of states, it directly affects the conservation of ecosystem biodiversity, and most importantly, HEALTHand the quality of life of millions of people. And therefore, in RUSSIA, the issues of environmental protection, rational use of natural resources, and ensuring environmental safety are among the significant national priorities.” “To live in a healthy environment is the right of every country, every people, and not the privilege of individual states. The Earth's ecosystem is global and the only one in which we all live. We don't have another one. If we destroy it, no one will be able to hide, hide anywhere,” said Valentina Matvienko, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, in her speech.

The event also included an exhibition-fair of Russian organic products, with master classes and tastings. Also, within the framework of the Congress, the winners of the All-Russian competition for the award for achievements in the development of organic products were awarded. The National Organic Competition is held under the auspices of the Federation Council together with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and Roskachestvo with the support of the Organica Foundation in order to develop the market for organic products.

In the nomination "Assortment of organic products" won the agricultural holding "AgriVolga" (Yaroslavl region) with the brand "Ugleche Pole". The holding also received a commendation "For contribution to the development of organic production and active participation in the fair of Russian organic products-2023".

“Our agricultural holding AgriVolga has become the winner of such competitions not for the first time, and such victories are very valuable for us,” says Elena Yashaeva, General DIRECTOR of the agricultural holding AgriVolga. – We are proud that our products have not only won the respect and trust of consumers for a long time, but are also in increasing demand. AgriVolga is making efforts to constantly expand its product line, this also works to popularize organic products and develop. Events such as the Nevsky Ecological Congress and the National Organic Competition, of course, contribute to the development of the organic agricultural market in the country, and this is a very important work.in which we are included from the very beginning.

In the nomination "Export-oriented producer of organic products" the winner was LLC "Arivera", the Republic of Mordovia. “Any event of this kind, especially with the support of the state, in particular the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, federal and regional structures, is important, it focuses attention on organic production. In addition, we had a rare opportunity to meet with our colleagues in the organic sector at the fair of organic products, organized as part of the X Ecological Congress, - said Ilya Kaletkin, General Director of Arivera LLC. - The victory of our company, which has roots in Mordovia, certainly plays a positive role for the region. And it is also an opportunity to be mentioned both on such a significant platform as the Nevsky Congress, and in the media and society. This is the second year in a row we have received an award in this competition and we are proud of it. This is a motivation for both the company's employees and consumers of Arivera brand products, another confirmation that we are doing the right thing, and consumers are buying the right products. I will also note that we have won in the direction of EXPORT orientation. We develop sales in foreign markets, these are the CIS countries, especiallyKazakhstan , we are also entering other countries, shipments go even to Thailand, we are negotiating with the countries of the Persian Gulf. Export of organics is a premium segment in which the world's best brands compete. It is good that Russian organics are becoming known on the world market.

The Azbuka Vkusa chain (City Supermarket LLC) became the leader in sales of organic products in retail outlets. “It is very important for us to receive this award, we see that our work on the development of the organic shelf is highly appreciated by the market,” says Andrey Chursin, Director for Government RelationsLLC "City Supermarket" - We are always open to new proposals from suppliers and are developing special technological tools that simplify and speed up the process of getting on our shelf. It is important to note that Azbuka Vkusa is one of the founders and members of the National Organic Union, and organic products are one of the focus areas of our development. Our task is to develop a culture of organic consumption among the masses, acting as category trendsetters. Azbuka Vkusa became one of the first retail chains to sell organic products. We started with imported organics in 2006, and now we have more than 50 certified European and Russian suppliers, the share in the turnover is 1.2%, and the penetration into checks is 3%.”

In the nomination "New Organic Product", the winners were Sergey Nikolaevich Kostyukov, Belgorod Region, and Organic Air LLC, Stavropol Territory . “The most important victory factor for us is the recognition by consumers of the quality of our products and, as a result, of our work. We are very pleased to realize this, after such victories we want to work harder, - says Anton Usov, Commercial Director of Organic Air LLC. The company has been operating since 2018, began to actively enter the market in 2021. – This victory motivates our team to develop and gives rise to a desire to do their job even better and better, develop a product line, experiment and provide people with the opportunity to consume new tasty and, most importantly, healthy food products .. We are sincerely glad that our state is promoting proper nutrition and a proper lifestyle. We believe that in the long term, similar government initiatives will affect the health of our nation and its life expectancy.”

“It is worth emphasizing the importance of such competitive events,” sums up Nadezhda Stepkina, executive director of the National Organic Union. - It is valuable that the state, represented by relevant departments, pays attention to the development of organic agriculture in the country. Today, this is an urgent issue from the point of view of import substitution. Russian organic producers every year show more and more successful results of their work and are quite competitive, our organic products are not inferior in quality to foreign ones. Thanks to such events, the consumer audience is also expanding, today the consumer is more and more consciously choosing an organic product for himself.”