Russian Farmers Bet on Domestically Developed Barley: Demand Growing, Including from Brewers

By 2030, Russia aims to supply itself with at least 75% domestically bred seeds for major crops. The greatest progress has already been made with cereals: winter wheat and rice are almost fully covered, while for spring barley, the share of Russian seeds in 2024 reached 72%, with planned targets of up to 80% by 2030 according to the Federal project “Scientific Developments in Breeding and Genetics.” These figures were presented during a roundtable at the All-Russian Forum of Breeders and Seed Growers “Russian Field,” held on August 20–21 in Kazan.

Experts note that the transition to domestic varieties for forage and food barley is proceeding smoothly: Russian lines match foreign counterparts in quality and often surpass them in yield. Currently, the “State Register of Breeding Achievements” includes 309 varieties of spring barley, most of which are successfully used in agriculture.

However, the situation with brewing barley remains more complex. In an interview with Izvestia on August 30, 2025, Ilya Kravtsov, chief agronomist of the SPK “Streletsky” in the Tula region, emphasized that Russian varieties for brewing are only beginning to gain popularity: they already meet the GOST standards for protein, starch, and extract content, which are critical for beer producers. Nevertheless, major market players, including Baltika and OPH, still largely rely on imported varieties, while their own agricultural projects cover a significant portion of demand.

Although Baltika and other brewing companies are investing in breeding and joint projects with scientific centers, the market remains partially dependent on imports. In 2024, the quota for importing brewing barley seeds was 600 tons, which was reduced to 500 tons in 2025. These volumes are distributed among leading breeding companies — Limagrain Ru, KWS Rus, German Seed Alliance Russ, EkoNiva Seeds — as well as several agricultural producers, including Pavlovskaya Niva Agrofirm JSC, Souffle Agro Rus, and Artel JSC. A small share of the quota is also allocated to the brewing company Baltika.

Thus, while Russia is already close to full self-sufficiency in forage and food barley, the transition period in the brewing barley seed segment may take longer. Sustainable import substitution here will require additional investments as well as recognition of new Russian varieties by key industry players.