One of the country's key industry forums, supported by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, Rosselkhoznadzor, and the Russian Export Center, was held in Moscow. Three days of discussions, hundreds of speakers, participants from Russia, Belarus, Iran, China, and Turkey—and the entire "from field to fork" cycle—were held under the single roof of the Timiryazev Center. The MAP Russia 2026 International Exhibition was held concurrently.
Particular attention was paid to topics that are currently of concern to all agricultural enterprise managers: human resources issues and HR strategy in the face of growing shortages. The program not only included a roundtable discussion on human resources in the agricultural sector; the organizers even dedicated a separate day to an HR forum. The message was clear: human resources have become the number one issue for the industry.
How it works in practice
Natalia Vershinina, Head of BRICS Mobility, delivered the keynote speech at the roundtable discussion "Human Resources in the Agricultural Sector: How to Overcome Prejudices." Together with HR directors from major agricultural enterprises, university representatives, and labor market experts, we discussed solutions and analyzed case studies. Using BRICS Mobility's experience, we examined three different methods for addressing personnel shortages.
Mass recruitment. In meat processing, for example, line operators, packers, and boners are in high demand. Over 500 specialists from Kenya, selected and trained by BRICS Mobility, are working in four regions of Russia. The result is a turnover rate of no more than 10% per year. And it is the quality of selection and training that enables us to achieve this figure.
Hand-picked recruitment. Our team has also completed cases in specialized fields: an agronomist from Morocco, berry pickers from Côte d'Ivoire. Visa hiring means that a person arrives for a specific employer, for a specific position, and does not enter the open labor market.
Academic mobility. We have begun working for the future. This year, international students—future agronomists for Magnit enterprises—are beginning their studies at universities in St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. They will be enrolled in targeted programs. This represents a completely different level of recruiting, developing talent for a specific employer.
A Systemic Reality, Not a "Bad Year"
The topic of personnel addresses a very specific pain point for the agricultural sector: personnel shortages in certain segments of the industry reach 30–50%, the proportion of employees under 35 is approximately 9%, and the shortage of specialists in the coming years could reach 300,000. The market has already responded by expanding beyond local hiring: quotas for attracting visa-based foreign workers have increased by 89% in two years.
At a business forum in April of this year, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov acknowledged that it would be difficult to ensure economic growth in Russia without migration. He emphasized that it is needed in limited and reasonable quantities, and that building a sound system for attracting and retaining the necessary talent in Russia is a major challenge.
Because bringing in people isn't the solution. The real solution is for them to stay and work stably.
According to labor systems in the EU, Canada, and Singapore, 60-70% of contract terminations are due to violations of discipline and work schedules, while another 20-25% are due to a mismatch of expectations. A lack of professional skills accounts for only 5-10%.
Therefore, when selecting candidates, it's important to assess their psychological stability and readiness to work within the Russian production model.
The discussion at the summit confirmed that companies that begin building an international recruitment system now will find themselves in a fundamentally different position in a few years. Visa-based personnel is a working tool in HR strategy that provides predictability, shift stability, and real relief for HR.
Want to understand how this could work for your company? Schedule a consultation.
Particular attention was paid to topics that are currently of concern to all agricultural enterprise managers: human resources issues and HR strategy in the face of growing shortages. The program not only included a roundtable discussion on human resources in the agricultural sector; the organizers even dedicated a separate day to an HR forum. The message was clear: human resources have become the number one issue for the industry.
How it works in practice
Natalia Vershinina, Head of BRICS Mobility, delivered the keynote speech at the roundtable discussion "Human Resources in the Agricultural Sector: How to Overcome Prejudices." Together with HR directors from major agricultural enterprises, university representatives, and labor market experts, we discussed solutions and analyzed case studies. Using BRICS Mobility's experience, we examined three different methods for addressing personnel shortages.
Mass recruitment. In meat processing, for example, line operators, packers, and boners are in high demand. Over 500 specialists from Kenya, selected and trained by BRICS Mobility, are working in four regions of Russia. The result is a turnover rate of no more than 10% per year. And it is the quality of selection and training that enables us to achieve this figure.
Hand-picked recruitment. Our team has also completed cases in specialized fields: an agronomist from Morocco, berry pickers from Côte d'Ivoire. Visa hiring means that a person arrives for a specific employer, for a specific position, and does not enter the open labor market.
Academic mobility. We have begun working for the future. This year, international students—future agronomists for Magnit enterprises—are beginning their studies at universities in St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. They will be enrolled in targeted programs. This represents a completely different level of recruiting, developing talent for a specific employer.
A Systemic Reality, Not a "Bad Year"
The topic of personnel addresses a very specific pain point for the agricultural sector: personnel shortages in certain segments of the industry reach 30–50%, the proportion of employees under 35 is approximately 9%, and the shortage of specialists in the coming years could reach 300,000. The market has already responded by expanding beyond local hiring: quotas for attracting visa-based foreign workers have increased by 89% in two years.
At a business forum in April of this year, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov acknowledged that it would be difficult to ensure economic growth in Russia without migration. He emphasized that it is needed in limited and reasonable quantities, and that building a sound system for attracting and retaining the necessary talent in Russia is a major challenge.
Because bringing in people isn't the solution. The real solution is for them to stay and work stably.
According to labor systems in the EU, Canada, and Singapore, 60-70% of contract terminations are due to violations of discipline and work schedules, while another 20-25% are due to a mismatch of expectations. A lack of professional skills accounts for only 5-10%.
Therefore, when selecting candidates, it's important to assess their psychological stability and readiness to work within the Russian production model.
The discussion at the summit confirmed that companies that begin building an international recruitment system now will find themselves in a fundamentally different position in a few years. Visa-based personnel is a working tool in HR strategy that provides predictability, shift stability, and real relief for HR.
Want to understand how this could work for your company? Schedule a consultation.