VNIISKH «Nemchinovka» has been fighting with officials for experimental land for more than 20 years
Food security in Russia is impossible without bread, or rather without wheat, which is our strategic product. “We have grains a dime a dozen,” some will say, “why worry about it?” However, large reserves of grain “fall” on us for a reason, but thanks to the work of experienced breeders who develop varieties with record yields. Such specialists should bask in glory and honor! All conditions for work must be created for them… But for more than 20 years, scientists have survived, not getting out of court, protecting their experimental fields from officials who are taking away land either for the construction of Skolkovo or for private construction. The MK columnist looked into the crisis situation.
One of the newest varieties of wheat, bred by breeders. Photo courtesy of Scientific Russia
I am writing about the All-Russian Research Institute of Agriculture «Nemchinovka» (now it has the status of a federal research center) is not the first time.
Scientists grow wheat in their experimental fields, then supplying 30 regions in the central part of Russia with varietal seeds. The seeds then produce generous harvests of grain and leguminous crops in the fields every year with a total area of 8 million hectares.
To imagine the amount of work carried out by FRC breeders, we will list just a few of the winter soft wheat varieties they have created over the past 20 years: “Nemchinovskaya-17”, “Nemchinovskaya-24”, “Moskovskaya-40”, “ ;Nemchinovskaya-57″, «Nemchinovskaya-85», «Galina», «Moskovskaya-56″… They contained up to 16 percent protein, which is significantly more than the varieties of competitors from Germany and France, and they are not inferior in yield to foreign ones. The potential of «Nemchinovskaya-17», «Nemchinovskaya-24», «Moskovskaya-40», «Moskovskaya-56» in the conditions of the Central Non-Black Earth Region it is up to 140 centners per hectare.
But officials do not appreciate those who feed Russia with bread, as if they themselves do not eat this bread…
The sad history of the confiscation of experimental lands from breeders stretches back to 2011, when, on instructions from the president of the country (he was then Dmitry Medvedev) and a government decree, they were “plucked off” from them. more than 500 hectares of land of the institute and the Nemchinovka educational enterprise. It seemed like it was a noble start, – innovation center «Skolkovo». For the sake of the younger generation of scientists, who were going to be raised for the benefit of our country, breeders made room, – agreed to move to more distant lands of the experimental farm of the FSUE Tolstopaltsevo, in the village of Sokolovo (this is now Moscow), and the FSUE Poultry Production Enterprise Ptichnoye, located in the Naro-Fominsk region. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences told me about this at one time. Bagrat Sandukhadze.
In Sokolovo «Nemchinovka» it was no longer 500, but only 370 hectares and 5.6 billion rubles for the construction of a production base in a new location, and in Ptichny – about 900 hectares.
However, not everything that was promised was delivered. Despite the fact that the breeders immediately sowed grain on the lands allotted to them, they did not have time to legally secure the arable land for themselves. And in 2014, “Bird” went bankrupt… It was as if the officials were waiting for this, who as a result confiscated all the farm lands, including those allocated to Nemchinovka, to the treasury of the Russian Federation (as if this treasury was not interested in improving the characteristics of domestic grain). 9 years after the Nemchinovka trials, the lands were never transferred to them. The former experimental lands have become overgrown with weeds and trees.
Now let's move to the village of Sokolovo with its 370 hectares, promised to scientists in return for the fields given over to Skolkovo. Remember, they were promised 5.6 billion in lifting money? In reality, only 500 million rubles were allocated, which was enough only for the first stage of construction: land reclamation preparation, construction of roads, utility rooms, buildings for seed preparation, hangars for storing equipment and laboratories. This made it possible to immediately sow the original seeds of grain crops. The scientists worked very efficiently: several new varieties were obtained at the new site. But in 2014 (strange coincidence), almost simultaneously with “Bird” FSUE Tolstopaltsevo, where all this grew, also went bankrupt. For the timely signing of acts of transfer of part of the lands to “Nemchinovka” and their registration in Rosreestr was not enough just a few days… Then it took 7 (!) years to sort out the transfer. The Federal Property Management Agency eventually transferred «Nemchinovka» 338 of 370 hectares of land are under management.
Scientists at the experimental field of the Federal Research Center «Nemchinovka». Photo courtesy of Scientific Russia
— Of the 338 hectares transferred to us for arable land, only 219 hectares turned out to be suitable, – sums up the many years of struggle for land by the current director of the Federal Research Center «Nemchinovka» Sergey Voronov. – And of this they have given us only 209 hectares so far.
— Two land plots with a total area of 32 hectares, by decision of the Government Commission for the Development of Housing Construction in 2015, were transferred to the Housing Construction Development Fund. Until recently, we were fighting with the Federal Property Management Agency for one more plot – on 11 hectares in Sokolovo. In 2018, an error was allegedly discovered there. “Look, – They told us at Rosimushchestvo, – According to the Unified State Register of Real Estate, there is a building on this land plot that belongs to a third party.” “What other building?!” – we were surprised – We have been sowing grain there for seven years, there is no building there!” After that we brought it to the site and representatives of the Federal Property Management Agency, and the cadastral chamber, – they saw with their own eyes that there was no mythical “third party with the house” there isn't. The situation seems to have swung in our favor, but until 2022. The Federal Property Management Agency, which apparently stubbornly did not want to give us this land for operational management.
— They divided the plot originally promised to us into two parts: 10 and 1 hectares . The cadastral number was changed for the larger one, and what remains is the so-called “inconvenience”: continuous ravines, unsuitable for arable land.
– Certainly. But we are losing, – the court does not even take into account the fact that on that 10-hectare plot of land for which we are fighting, there is our concrete fence! The Federal Property Management Agency takes the position that it – owner of the land and disposes of the site at his own discretion. It turns out – the fence belongs to “Nemchinovka”, but the land under the fence no longer belongs.
On a plot of 10 hectares, which is now being taken away from scientists, technologies for cultivating new varieties of winter wheat are still being developed. In 2023, scientists, despite oppression, have outdone themselves – created the newest winter wheat variety “Vasilievna”, which on the plot showed 158 (!) centners per hectare, and this without loss of grain quality! But its fate seems to be of little concern to government officials; they do not understand that they can finally destroy the former Nemchinovka Agricultural Research Institute. In my opinion, in modern conditions, when the country really needs its new varieties of wheat, this is tantamount to sabotage.
“In February 2022, a land plot with cadastral number 77:18:0190209:316 was provided with the right of permanent (indefinite) use of the Federal State Institution «Military Unit 55002». In November 2022, the Federal Research Center Nemchinovka filed an application with the Moscow Arbitration Court to declare illegal the decision of the Federal Property Management Agency to refuse to provide the Federal Research Center «Nemchinovka» on the right of permanent (indefinite) use of the specified land plot. By the decision of the Arbitration Court of the city of Moscow, left unchanged by the decision of the Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal and the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Moscow District in the specified case in satisfying the stated requirements of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «FIC «Nemchinovka» completely refused. The courts came to the conclusion that the provision of a land plot with the right of permanent (indefinite) use to the Federal State Institution «Military Unit 55002» carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and does not violate the property rights of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Federal Research Center «Nemchinovka».