In February 2023, reindeer farms in Russia summed up the interim reindeer meat harvesting results for the first winter month. In the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area, the figure amounted to 350 tonnes, which is a record high compared to similar periods in previous years. In total, YNAA reindeer breeders harvested 2,300 tonnes of meat in 2022, showing steady growth. Other Russian regions are also demonstrating positive dynamics. In the Komi Republic, the volume of harvested meat grew 2.5% compared to last year. In Chukotka, the number was 37%, etc. What do these numbers tell us?

The age-long reindeer herding tradition

The history of northern reindeer herding goes back to the 3rd-2nd millennia B.C. Indigenous peoples of the North used reindeer as means of transportation, food and a source of hides and bone for clothing, tools and shelter. The USSR attempted to radically reform the traditional way of life of reindeer herding farms, and in some regions, it succeeded. For example, the Sami in the Murmansk Region were organised into 11 collective farms and converted to a sedentary lifestyle; collective farms with norms, planning and other elements of a socialist economy were also set up for the nomadic peoples of Yamal and Taymyr.

More often than not, herds were grazed by teams of blood-related shepherds. They followed established routes, took and handed over the herds at collective and state farms and had several personal reindeer. There were several such families within a single enterprise, firmly embedded in its structure. The herders took care of the reindeer while the processing and sale were done "on the mainland." The fundamental nature of the activities of most reindeer herders remained more or less the same over the centuries. Then a crisis struck in the 1990s, reducing the number of reindeer in Russia by 2.3 mn heads. The reindeer herders found themselves in a very different reality to which many could not adapt.

In 2006, reindeer herding was included in the national project, and in 2007, it became a priority focus area for the animal husbandry sector. However, according to the Agroinvestor portal, the number of domestic reindeer stopped growing and even decreased in the middle of the 2010s. The maximum number of herds in Russia's recent history was recorded around 2012, followed by a relative plateau until 2016. Epidemics, natural factors and low profitability of production have been identified as the leading causes of stagnation. At the same time, the number of reindeer is increasing again in 2022—for example, at the end of the year, the number of animals increased by 4,209 in the Komi Republic; statistics from previous years indicate similar processes in the YNAA and the NAA. In total, there are about 1,700 reindeer farms in Russia, with more than 2 mn reindeer in herds.

Tundra for export?

A key factor in increasing the volume of meat delivery from 2020 is the increase in state subsidies for the purchase of reindeer meat. In YNAA, reindeer herders are paid at least RUB 450 per kilogram of meat in the 'free sale' category and RUB 150 per kilogram of meat in the 'free processing' category. The regions used to rely on the export potential of venison, but as the international environment changed, they turned to the domestic market. Last year, Andrey Revnivykh, Deputy Head of the Department of Agricultural and Fishery Development at the Department of the YNAA Agroindustrial Complex, noted in a commentary to TASS that the YNAA itself is capable of absorbing all the current export volumes of reindeer and fish that are caught.

Since 2021, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic is drafting a document entitled 'Strategies for the Development of Reindeer Husbandry in the Russian Federation until 2030.' The document is currently under active discussion, including among reindeer herders. The plan is to create a system for the deep processing of venison, as well as a system for delivering venison-based products to the consumer. This will intensify the development of an industry that is vital to all the constituent entities of the AZRF.

Read more Deer skins and diamonds: export trade from the Arctic territories Arctic export categories: a closer look