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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 17, 2019 14:52:57 GMT -5
Living in the Mootrix: Russian cows try out VR headsets to lighten their mood. RT.com 27 Nov, 2019 14:04 Theories that we all live in a simulated world are debatable, but it may actually become a thing for Russian cows as farmers believe virtual reality could be used to trick the animals into giving more milk. It was a cold and murky November day in the Moscow Region, but the cows at one farm were absolutely sure they were grazing a green field in the middle of summer. The first trials of VR headsets, specially designed for the cattle, has shown a decrease in the level of anxiety and improved mood among the test subjects, an article on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region said. Cows sporting futuristic goggles also improved the mood on the internet as commentators said they were jealous and wanted such headsets for themselves to survive the infamous Russian winter. “That’s the cyberpunk that we deserved,” one of the comments read, while many also remembered the popular meme: “How do you like it, Elon Musk?” But the veterinarians and IT experts behind the project are dead serious as they developed the headset especially to match the anatomy of the cows. The visuals presented to the animals were also adjusted in accordance with the fact that those animals have a much better perception of the colors from the red portion of the spectrum. The test was hailed as a success, with the effect of virtual reality on milk yield to become the subject of further complex studies. Many international surveys prove that happy cows produce more and better quality milk – so putting them in the Matrix may really be a solution.  |
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Post by TsarSamuil on Feb 7, 2021 4:55:44 GMT -5
Russian grain exports hit historic high.
RT.com
3 Feb, 2021 09:29
Grain exports by Russia in the current agricultural year, from last July to June 2021, have already hit 34.3 million tons, 25 percent more than during the same period last season.
According to business daily Vedomosti, citing the head of the Rusagrotrans analytical center, Igor Pavensky, it is also the highest indicator in the history of the market. He pointed out that the previous record had been set in the 2018-2019 crop year, when Russia had delivered 32.15 million tons of grain to the global market by January.
Pavensky said that exports of wheat have amounted to 29 million tons this current year, also a record amount. His words were echoed by the director general of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, Dmitry Rylko, who said that wheat exports in January alone have totaled a record 3.2 million tons. Rylko attributed the dynamic to several factors, such as high yield, global grain prices growth, and the introduction by Russia of export duties on grain from February 15.
Booming agricultural production in recent years has enabled Russia to capture more than half of the global wheat market, becoming the world’s biggest exporter of grain, thanks to bumper harvests and attractive pricing. Since the early 2000s, this share of the global wheat market has quadrupled. Supported by a massive grain harvest, the country is projected to retain its leadership in the world’s wheat market in the coming years.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Feb 7, 2021 4:56:36 GMT -5
Russia needs regulations for grain exports to control rising food prices – Putin.
RT.com
6 Feb, 2021 06:11
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the creation of a mechanism for regulating grain exports, to help domestic agriculture and curb rising food prices on the domestic market.
“Russia is one of the largest exporters of commodities,” he said, during a meeting with Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov this week, mentioning energy and agriculture as examples.
“We focus on the exchanges located outside the country, with grain as an example. The situation in the global food market is worsening,” Putin said, stressing that there is a need to establish a mechanism to help domestic agriculture.
According to Reshetnikov, his ministry will launch a permanent grain export instrument as soon as April 1. A formula-based export tax for grains, which the Kremlin had previously planned to switch to from fixed-value tariffs that had been imposed on grain exports, will come into effect from February 15.
The minister added that the new mechanism would become a permanent “price damper” aimed at “preventing global price fluctuations and high global prices from affecting Russia’s domestic market.”
Starting April 1, Russian grain exporters will have to register their contracts at one of Russia’s bourses, which would then calculate a price indicator for the formula, according to Reshetnikov.
Last year, Russia introduced an export limit of 17.5 million tons for grains such as wheat, rye, barley and corn, for the remainder of the marketing year in order to curb rising domestic food prices. The step also includes an export tax on wheat of $30.40 per ton. Later, the export duty for wheat was raised to $60.59 per ton, effective from February 15.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Mar 10, 2021 3:05:07 GMT -5
Russia becomes net exporter of food for first time in post-Soviet history.
RT.com
10 Mar 2021 | 07:01 GMT
Russia exported 79 million tons of food products last year, worth $30.7 billion, the AgroExport center under the country’s Ministry of Agriculture said in its latest report.
According to the agency, Russian food exports saw a 20-percent surge compared to the previous year, beating the record set in 2018, when the country exported 78.5 million tons of produce worth $25.8 billion.
The nation also exported more grain, meat, fish, vegetables, dairy and other products than it imported, becoming a net seller of agricultural produce for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Grains traditionally made up more than half of Russia’s agricultural export in terms of weight, accounting for about 33 percent of foreign food sales. In 2020, the country recorded its second-strongest grain harvest in history. Turkey became a major consumer of Russian grains, having bought nine million tons for $1.9 billion.
The biggest rise was seen in meat exports, which reportedly rose 49 percent over the year to a total value of nearly $900 million, boosted by strong and growing demand from China.
Beijing remained the top importer of Russian food produce, accounting for 13 percent of overall sales.
Turkey became the second-biggest buyer with 10 percent, while the share of Kazakhstan’s imports totaled seven percent. In total, Russia exported food products to 150 countries across the globe.
Russia’s agricultural sector has been booming since 2014, when the country banned some food imports from the European Union in response to sanctions over the Crimean reunification, and had to develop domestic alternatives to European dairy products, fruits, vegetables, cheeses and meat.
Under the strategy put forward by the country’s government, agricultural imports are set to increase by another 50 percent over the next three years. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry expects food exports to amount to at least to $26 billion in 2021.
However, recent measures undertaken by the Russian government may hold back the dramatic growth. The Kremlin has recently introduced an export limit and a tax hike on exports of grains in an effort to keep excess supplies at home to prevent domestic food prices from rising.
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Post by TsarSamuil on May 14, 2021 14:08:35 GMT -5
Russia becomes net exporter of food as import phase-out begins bearing fruit – PM.
RT.com
12 May, 2021 12:45
Last year, international sales of Russian agricultural produce exceeded foreign purchases, according to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
“The export volumes of the country’s agro-industrial complex totaled 271 billion rubles, topping the imports by some $1 billion,” the PM said during question-and-answer session with State Duma members.
He highlighted the crucial role played both by the imports phase-out and domestic enterprises in the process of implementing national infrastructure projects.
The state-backed program to phase out imports was launched in 2014, after relations between Russia and Western countries dramatically declined due to economic sanctions introduced by the US and the EU against Russia. Moscow responded with counter-sanctions, having phased out traditional American and European imports from the Russian market.
According to Mishustin, the share of domestically produced goods in the state purchase contracts increased from 49% to 57%, partly due to fixed quotas applied in favor of domestic produce.
Earlier this year, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture reported that Russia’s food exports hit a record high of $30.7 billion in 2020, compared to $25.6 billion in exports recorded in the previous year.
In 2020, Russia exported its agricultural produce to 150 countries. China became the top market for Russian food products, with imports worth more than $4 billion.
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Post by TsarSamuil on May 22, 2021 13:12:17 GMT -5
oh, those motherfuckers, i'll buy more meat now, got some burgers todayAnimal rights activists block McDonald’s distribution centres in UK, demanding 100% ‘plant-based’ menu. RT.com 22 May, 2021 10:52 An animal rights organisation known as Animal Rebellion attempted to shut down McDonald’s distribution centres in the UK with bamboo structures, vans, and other obstacles, demanding that the company go completely vegan. The organisation announced on Saturday that around 50 activists were blocking four distribution centres in Coventry, Basingstoke, Heywood, and Hemel Hempstead, and would continue to do so for at least 24 hours. Videos show the activists hanging from bamboo structures in front of the gates as one woman issued the demand that McDonald’s “go plant-based immediately.” A McDonald’s sign and burger sculpture were also drenched in blood by the activists, while placards protested the fast food company’s use of both meat and dairy – signalling that a plant-based menu could not include burger staples like cheese. “The only McDonald’s distribution centers in the UK, we’ve shut them all down today,” bragged the woman, who called McDonald’s “one of the biggest symbols of the animal agriculture industry, which as we know is destroying the climate, destroying the planet, it’s killing animals, and it’s exploiting workers.” In a statement, Animal Rebellion also declared that the “only sustainable and realistic way to feed ten billion people is with a plant-based food system,” adding that “organic, free-range and ‘sustainable’ animal-based options simply aren’t good enough.” While some social media users expressed support for the demonstration, many responses were not so positive, with critics calling the activists “stupid,” “selfish,” “thugs,” and “bullies.” “Love plant based food but not these tactics,” commented one person, while another wrote, “I absolutely support people’s right to choose a plant based diet, but forcing your choices and beliefs on others is not the way forwards.” “Had enough of being told what I should do or eat! You eat your vegan and plants and I’ll eat what I choose!” protested one fed up man, as others mocked the activists with McDonald’s order requests. Animal Rebellion claims on social media to be “in solidarity” with the climate change activism group Extinction Rebellion, but it is not clear whether the two have any official links.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Sept 2, 2021 12:46:26 GMT -5
Nearly 100,000 Russians claimed free land in Far East.
RT.com
2 Sep, 2021 13:29
Around 95,000 people received a free hectare of land under Russia’s state-backed land giveaway program in the country’s Far East.
“We continue to implement the Far East hectare program. In several days, 95,000 people will be provided with a free hectare of land,” Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), currently underway in Russia’s Vladivostok.
Trutnev noted that most of the time people take land for individual housing construction or to start businesses in the agriculture, tourism and recreation spheres.
The program, approved by the president in 2016, is meant to populate and develop Russia’s Far East. Initially, any Russian citizen could claim their free hectare (10,000 square meters) of land in Russia’s Eastern and Pacific regions. A year after the program was introduced, Putin proposed expanding it to foreign citizens with ancestors born on Russian territory.
The areas covered in the program include Yakutia, Kamchatka, Chukotka, Primorye, Khabarovsk, Amur, Magadan, Sakhalin, and the Jewish Autonomous Regions. The land can be used for any lawful purpose, but the new owners cannot rent, sell, or give it away for five years. The claims for free land in the Far East are coming from all over Russia, according to Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Ilyukhin.
According to the official land register, Russia currently has about 198 million hectares of agricultural land, of which at least 28 million is state-owned and unused.
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