This is not the first time Yakutia has been an innovator in legislation that could potentially be extended to the entire Arctic. In December, the Sakha Republic announced changes to its agricultural legal framework—they are intended to almost double the productivity of the local Arctic agro-industry. The regional government has already approved the Concept for Agricultural Development in the Arctic until 2035. A plan within the region will be approved by 1 April, and municipalities must submit their development programmes by 1 October next year.

Local authorities will be given a number of tools, including expanded rights for uluses to redistribute budget funds and set subsidy rates within their municipalities. This will help stimulate growth in priority areas of agriculture. Municipalities will also be given some investment-related authority to build small-scale facilities. The total amount of subventions for the agricultural sector next year will increase by RUB 1 bn and amount to almost RUB 8.9 bn.

Today, Arctic agriculture in Yakutia has much to boast about. For the first time since 2019, an increase in horse numbers has been achieved. While in 2023, the herd size was 240,329 head, this year, it has reached 243,428 head. The total gross harvest of greenhouse vegetables exceeded 9,000 tons, which is 19% more than in 2023, and the Yakutsk Poultry Farm achieved an annual egg production of up to 100 mn eggs.

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Yakutia is also implementing a programme to return agricultural land to use. Unused lands in the Far North quickly become waterlogged, so it is necessary to carry out a range of land improvement works to make them suitable for cultivation in the future. To date, 19 agricultural enterprises have received subsidies totalling RUB 20.64 mn, which have brought 1,960 ha of land back into use.

Yakutia is determined to develop regional agricultural production, gradually reducing dependence on Northern Supply. In recent decades, food prices have remained high in many Arctic regions, and the range of products on Arctic store shelves has been unpredictable. Despite the forthcoming optimisation of Northern Supply, which promises a significant reduction in the cost of essential goods, local produce will always have a price advantage. 

According to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Policy Artem Alexandrov, six passports for large sectoral projects on meat and milk processing have been approved, which should significantly increase production volumes. In total, according to the decree of the head of the region Aysen Nikolaev, Yakutia has tasks to increase the area of arable land to 70,000 ha, to increase the output of meat products to 8,000 tons, and dairy products to 15,000 tons, as well as to intensively develop exports. One example of successful exports in the agricultural industry is a product developed by the Khotu-Bakt Research and Production Centre. It combats strangles, a horse infection, and its production has been organised in Mongolia. Mass vaccination of Mongolian herds is scheduled for June 2025. In Russia, this medication is produced only in the Sakha Republic.

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