Russia may significantly increase the recycling fee for foreign-made agricultural machinery. The funds received by the budget are planned to support Russian manufacturers of similar agricultural machines or to open new production facilities.
This practice has been in place in Russia for several years with foreign passenger cars and is being developed for foreign equipment such as smartphones and laptops. A recycling fee for foreign agricultural machinery also exists in the country, but it is not increasing as rapidly as is currently proposed.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade, according to the Kommersant publication, is the author of the legislative initiative to increase the recycling fee for self-propelled agricultural machinery by 5-10 times. This includes tractors, various combines, and sprayers.
According to sources of the publication, the recycling fee rates will be increased after the March presidential elections in Russia. Journalists of the publication were officially told by the Ministry of Industry and Trade that "final decisions" on increasing the recycling fee have not been made. However, the agricultural machinery market is being monitored, and "depending on further changes in the situation, appropriate decisions will be made." The other relevant ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture, noted that such a bill has not yet been received.
However, Russian farmers and agricultural machinery dealers are concerned.
They call for supporting domestic machine builders in other ways. As arguments, they cite, in particular, that due to the jump in the recycling fee, the price of powerful imported tractors and combines can increase by 5-15 million rubles per unit.
This will make employment in the agricultural sector less profitable and cost-effective, and will force farmers to raise prices for their final products. That is, prices in Russian stores for food will start to rise again. The participants in the national food security supply chain outlined their position in letters to the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev.
The documents were signed by the Association of Agricultural Machinery Dealers ASKHOD and representatives of various agricultural sectors - the Russian Grain Union, the Potato Union, the National Meat Association, Rusprodsoyuz, and a number of others.
After reviewing the texts of the letters, "Ъ" notes that increasing the fee for a tractor with a capacity of 340–380 hp by five times will lead to an increase in its price by 4.6 million rubles, and by ten times - by 10.4 million rubles. A combine harvester with a capacity of 256–325 hp, respectively, will become more expensive by 4.5 million rubles and 10.1 million rubles, and a forage harvester with a capacity of 296–401 hp will increase in price by 6.3 million rubles and 14.3 million rubles, respectively.
