Perspectives on development of organic agriculture in Russia

The article is dedicated to the development of organic agriculture in Russia, which will comply with all the principles and objectives of organic production that meet international requirements to ensure the competitiveness of organic products produced by domestic agricultural enterprisers. The concept of organic agriculture is defined. The importance of organic food production as well as ensuring country food security is proved by the fact that the consumption of environmentally friendly products is the basis of a man's life and helps restore a body after exposure to low-quality food and the adverse factors of environment. The demand for organic products among the population in a lot of countries is increasing every year. Today, about 160 countries are engaged in organic agriculture. The findings of foreign and domestic scientists on the development of organic agriculture has been displayed. Countries where organic agriculture is developing successfully in response to high demand for organic food are shown (Europe and the United States). The example of Germany shows what factors contributed to the significant and rapid development of organic agriculture. In Russian theoretical studies and on practice the development of organic agriculture is not fully investigated. The current draft law, regulatory acts and standards of organic products manufacture in Russia are studied. The procedure of certification for Russian producers of organic products is presented, as well as the difficulties and financial costs it entails in the process. The study used scientific methods such as synthesis, analysis, and statistical approaches. The study assesses the current state of development of organic agriculture and the organic products market in Russia. A sociological survey was conducted in the Komi Republic on the demand for organic food among local residents. The assessment of soil quality of agricultural lands of the Komi Republic is presented. The factors and conditions which constrain development of organic agriculture in Russia are revealed. The factors that determine the distinctive features of organic agriculture are summarized. The proposals and recommendations on the development of organic agriculture aimed at improving the competitiveness of Russian organic agricultural products, as well as ensuring domestic food security are formulated