To truly support farmers, the Food Corporation needs to change the requirements for grain quality. Purchasing requirements are artificially created. This opinion was expressed by farmers of the Kostanay region. The food corporation works as it is convenient for them to sell, elevators, as it is convenient for them to receive and process. What about a farmer? Agricultural producers are asking to meet them halfway, reports the APK News agency.
According to the press service of the Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Kostanay region, a quota of more than 94 thousand tons has been determined in the region, of which 34 thousand tons are 4 and 5 classes each and 27 thousand tons are extra-class wheat, but when it is delivered to farmers make a test report for mycotoxins.
“To date, the Food Corporation has accepted 127 applications for 56 thousand tons, of which 13 thousand tons are extra-curricular wheat, 4 classes - 4 thousand tons and 5 classes - 37 thousand tons. We have already completed the tonnage for class 5, but "We did not stop accepting applications, because in other regions there is a large shortage in all classes. And it was decided to give this quota to the Kostanay region," Almat Shayakhmetov, acting head of the Kostanay regional representative office of NK Food Corporation JSC, said at a meeting in the Chamber.
As the representative of the Food Corporation added, the department fully advises all farmers who come to them. If there are any errors in grain receipts or other documents, they provide support.
“We have to manually regulate many issues, sometimes personally go to the elevators. The purchase will continue until the end of this year, because funding needs to be disbursed; if there are leftovers, they will be redirected to other programs,” A. Shayakhmetov emphasized.
In turn, representatives of the Association of Agricultural Producers of the region noted that the requirement to submit grain for mycotoxins is an additional cost. They suggested considering the possibility of excluding this clause from the Food Corporation rules.
"In the technical requirements of GOST for the 4th class of grain, the grain impurity indicator of 5% is specified only for baking and pasta flour. And for wheat, feed and alcohol it is specified at 15%. We ask you to increase the grain impurity indicator to 15 in the Food Corporation's requirements for the purchase of grain 4 classes,” suggested the representative of the Association, director of Asia Altyn 2030 LLP Svetlana Mikhailenko.
The agrarian also noted that the purchase of non-class wheat, feed, 4 and 5 classes should be carried out in accordance with GOST - ST RK 1046-2008 "Wheat. Technical conditions", but take into account the high germination number and low falling number, but without any gradation within the wheat class.
“For class 4, the price is good, 90 thousand tenge, but the requirements indicate a grain admixture of 7%. And if it is 15%, then the price is already 70 thousand tenge. Help the peasant who has such wheat, but he this point does not pass, let him pass, get the money, and so the situation is difficult. It is necessary to make changes to the requirements for class 5. Is gluten 27 possible? There is no such requirement in GOST," the agrarian explained.
According to farmers, the situation with substandard wheat looks even sadder: the Association analyzed the situation and came to the conclusion that the purchasing requirements were created artificially, because elevators cannot separately store grain with gluten 27 or natural 560. Farmers believe that such indicators are far-fetched and need to be excluded. We must take into account the fact that, even having wheat with the necessary indicators, the farmer cannot deliver it to the elevator.
Svetlana Mikhailenko added that today the situation is such that the Food Corporation works as it is convenient for it to sell, elevators, as it is convenient for them to accept and process. What about a farmer? Chemical sellers are already suing them for non-payment of debts.
In turn, the director of Melitopolskoe LLP, Eduard Dvurechensky, added that the indicator for sprouted grains needs to be removed from the requirements or increased. Since at the time of delivery to the elevator the grain had the same indicators, after a month or two it was different. If the documents indicate 50 sprouted grains, in fact there will be 90 or more.
In turn, the deputy head of the regional department of agriculture and land relations, Dmitry Evstafiev, explained that only farmers who store grain in elevators can participate in direct purchasing, and those who store grain in their warehouses do not have this opportunity.
“When purchasing, we must comply with GOST and there should not be any invented requirements. We ask to increase the purchase quota, but how can this be done if the elevators do not accept them, they are overcrowded. Farmers have already proposed several times to allow commission purchases from farmers’ warehouses and to conclude agreements with them "We need to increase the purchase to 2 million tons in order to close all the holes that have formed before the start of the sowing season," added Alexander Borodin, director of Zuevka LLP.
At the meeting of the Council, farmers made a number of proposals to supplement the direct purchase of grain by JSC NC Food Corporation, which they promised to consider and take into account.