This year, Dagestan farmers intend to double the area under rice cultivation, Mukhtarbiy Adzhekov, Minister of Agriculture and Food for the Republic says. The minister noted that rice cultivation became one of the leading sectors in the region's agro-industrial complex, with special emphasis placed on its development.

Several years ago, rice was grown on an area of approx.10 thousand hectares. Last year, 32 thousand hectares were cultivated. This year, another 33 thousand have been planted, with the sowing season nearing completion. A few years ago, there was only one rice mill in the region.

Now, there are four with modern equipment and two more are being constructed. We currently process 70-80% of the rice produced and aim to increase this percentage to 100% in future, Adzhekov said. From 2014 to 2023, the rice crop in Dagestan grew by 113%, with over 155 thousand metric tons harvested last year. This achievement allowed Dagestan to rank second among Russian regions based on this indicator.