Russian agribusiness Steppe completes switch to domestic seeds
Agribusiness Steppe has replaced foreign planting material across all its crops, completing a localization program that began more than six years ago. The move comes as Russia seeks to raise its domestic seed supply from an estimated 69% to at least 75% by 2030.
Foreign planting material fully replaced
Russian agribusiness Steppe has switched entirely to domestically produced planting material across all its crops, Vedomosti reported. The group completed the change after replacing foreign seeds in stages under a corporate import-substitution program launched more than six years ago.
Steppe stopped using imported sunflower, flax, mustard, pea and chickpea seeds last year. In 2024, it replaced foreign sugar beet seeds, addressing the crop with the highest dependence on imported planting material in Russia. Foreign hybrids accounted for 92% of the country’s sugar beet seed market at that time. The company’s flagship grain crops, wheat and barley, have already been grown exclusively from Russian seeds for several years.
Russia targets 75% domestic seed supply
The shift at Steppe is part of a broader expansion of Russian plant breeding and seed production. Under Russia’s Food Security Doctrine, domestic seeds must cover at least 75% of requirements by 2030. The Ministry of Agriculture currently estimates the share at 69%, leaving a gap of 6 percentage points.
More than 1,000 new crop varieties and hybrids were added to the state register last year, according to the information published by Vedomosti. More than 30 breeding and seed-production centers have been established at scientific organizations over the past 10 years. Large agricultural companies, including EkoNiva, Rusagro, Progress Agro Group and Steppe, have also entered breeding to supply both their own farms and the wider market.
Breeding, machinery and software localization
Steppe’s seed plant develops grain and legume varieties independently and with partners. Chief Executive Andrey Neduzhko said Russian seeds are highly adapted to local soil and climatic conditions and are comparable with imported products in disease resistance and yield. The statement reflects the company’s assessment; the source material provides no comparative field-trial data.
The localization program extends beyond seeds. Steppe now uses exclusively Russian-made crop-protection products and mineral fertilizers, while domestic machinery accounts for more than 80% of its agricultural equipment and continues to increase. The company has also replaced imported software with domestic systems for crop planning, logistics, financial reporting and back- and front-office operations. Russian agricultural telematics and machinery-monitoring systems are in use across its farms.
Digital substitution moves toward AI
Steppe launched a project last year to manufacture parts using 3D printing. This year, it created an artificial intelligence unit that plans to develop proprietary neural networks, AI agents, AI assistants and chatbots. These projects connect the company’s agricultural localization effort with efforts to reduce dependence on foreign industrial and digital technology.
At the national level, Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut has said the government aims for domestic basic and applied software to replace imported products at 80% of agricultural enterprises by 2030. AgroPromTsifra, an integrator created three years ago, is responsible for developing import-substituting software, supporting cybersecurity and scaling digital practices. For seed producers and technology suppliers, Steppe’s transition shows that large farming groups are becoming direct customers, developers and potential vendors of localized inputs.
