The Ministry of Agriculture and Russian Railways may launch charter trains to bring in seasonal workers from neighboring countries for agricultural needs, Kommersant reported, citing a source. The ministry confirmed the information.
Workers were banned from entering Russia in March 2020 due to the spread of the coronavirus. In March of this year, workers were allowed to import companies with a staff of more than 250 people and revenue of more than 2.5 billion rubles. In May, the requirements for the number of employees and revenue were reduced to attract workers from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The Ministry of Agriculture said that now workers can come to Russia only with the help of aviation, which increases the costs of market participants. Igor Mukhanin, President of the Association of Russian Gardeners, said that a ticket for one worker costs 80 thousand rubles. excluding quarantine measures.
According to the interlocutor of the publication, a representative of Russian Railways estimated the cost of travel on a charter train at 12 thousand rubles. per person. The company said that the organization of passenger transportation by trains in international traffic is carried out by the decision of the headquarters for the fight against coronavirus.
Irina Koziy, general director of the Berry Union, said that the measure was too late for the berry industry this season. Some farms in the center of Russia reduced their area by 30% in the spring due to uncertainty with workers. However, workers are needed by outdoor vegetable growers and gardeners.
.