In the context of the digital transformation of the agro-industrial complex, there is a need to develop methodological approaches to assessing the economic effectiveness of investments in digital technologies, taking into account regional specifics and uncertainty factors. The article substantiates the author's methodological approach to assessing the economic efficiency of digitalization of the agro-industrial complex of the region, based on scenario analysis and normalization of performance indicators. An eight-stage algorithm for the implementation of the approach is proposed, including the identification of key influencing factors, the formation of development scenarios (optimistic, basic, pessimistic), the calculation of dynamic performance indicators (NPV, IRR, PP, ROI), normalization of indicators, expert assessment of their significance, calculation of a complex integral indicator, determination of the probability of occurrence of scenarios and calculation of the expected economic effect. The approach was tested using the example of the Novosibirsk region, which made it possible to quantify the effectiveness of digitalization investment projects in conditions of uncertainty and risk. The developed methodology ensures an objective assessment of projects, minimizing the risks of making suboptimal management decisions and maximizing the socio-economic effect of the digital transformation of the regional agro-industrial complex. The advantage of the approach is to overcome the incommensurability of traditional financial indicators through rationing and the formation of an integral criterion, which increases the reliability of investment decisions in the agricultural sector.
The article examines the possibility of using digital financial assets to finance the development of dairy processing and the production of high-protein dairy products. The research problem is determined by the need of agro-industrial enterprises for long-term and flexible capital sources, while bank loans, subsidies and internal funds do not always support modernization of processing facilities and production with higher added value. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the possibility of using digital financial assets as a financing instrument for the development of high-protein dairy products in the dairy industry. The methodology includes analysis of scientific literature, analysis of the regulatory framework for digital financial assets, review of analytical materials on digital finance, comparative analysis of financing instruments and logical structural modelling. The results identify prerequisites for the use of digital financial assets in the dairy industry, compare digital financial assets with bank loans, subsidies and bond financing, and propose a conceptual model of issuance linked to monetary claims or verifiable cash flows from product sales. The conclusion is that digital financial assets may be used only as an additional financing instrument. Their applicability depends on disclosure quality, issuer stability, legal certainty, production and market risk assessment, and the investor’s ability to understand the connection between return and project economic performance.
The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state and key trends in the development of the Russian fish and seafood market in the context of geopolitical changes, sanctions pressure and transformations in consumer demand. Special attention is given to the role of wholesale trade as a key link in the supply chain that connects production (fishing and aquaculture), processing, and retail trade. Based on the current data from Rosstat, Rosrybolovstvo, VAPE and industry analytics for 2017-2026, the paper examines the dynamics of water biological resources catch, the structure of import substitution, and the activities of major distributors and processors. The paper identifies key trends, including the shift from raw materials to processed products, the development of retailers and manufacturers own brands and the significant reorientation of export flows towards Asian, African, and Middle Eastern markets. Special attention is paid to critical infrastructure limitations: the shortage of refrigeration capacities, the deterioration of the refrigeration fleet and the high logistical costs caused by the territorial separation of fishing and consumption areas. The paper concludes that it is necessary to consolidate the efforts of the government and business to modernize the infrastructure, update the fleet, and increase the competitiveness of domestic fish products in domestic and foreign markets.
The article focuses on assessing the impact of sanctions pressure on the functioning of the agro-industrial complex and its infrastructural support in Russia. An analysis of the chronology of the introduction of sanctions packages against Russia was carried out, taking into account the period of introduction, the informal name, as well as the direction of influence and essential characteristics of the presented restriction packages. Each package of sanctions presented analyzed its essence, structure, and measures of impact on various sectors of the Russian economy, the financial and credit sector, individual national companies, individuals, and legal entities, as well as countries that are Russia's strategic partners. The levels of influence of Russian sanctions and countermeasures on the global energy, agri-food, mineral fertilizers and other types of commodity markets have been identified. An assessment of the impact of individual sanctions packages on the functioning of the agro-industrial complex and its infrastructural support in Russia is given.
In many countries, wholesale food markets facilitate the presence of agricultural producers, raw materials, and food products in markets and the establishment of direct economic relations with small-scale wholesalers and retailers. Given the perishable nature of agricultural products, raw materials, and food products, the goal of wholesale food markets is to optimize their turnover, accelerating the flow of goods by quickly concentrating them in urban shopping centers, especially in large cities. The existence of a specialized law removes legal barriers to the direct sale of agricultural products, raw materials, and food products, while providing the necessary guarantees for consumer health and safety. In Russia, legislation regulating the activities of wholesale food markets has not yet been adopted. We have prepared a draft federal law on the development of wholesale food markets, believing that it can significantly contribute to improving the efficiency of the flow of agricultural products, raw materials, and food products.
The article presents an optimization-regulatory model-platform of interregional food links, including tools and mechanisms for their development and optimization on the example of the Volga economic region with participation of other regions of the Volga and Southern federal districts. The work of the model is carried out in four stages: creation of a database (analysis of self-sufficiency, synthesis of starting positions, delimitation of regions by donors and recipients); economic evaluation of food links (analysis of product sales results, assessment of the economic potential of sub-markets, justification of the evaluation criterion, comparison of selling prices of products from recipients and donors); optimization of interregional food links in the matrix of the optimization-regulatory mechanism; Evaluation of the results of transfer of products from donors to recipients (definition: degree of satisfaction of recipient needs, increase in donor income, overall level of availability of regions with this type of product). The final practical result of the study is: a layout of the main matrix of the optimization-regulating mechanism of interregional food links, which represents a multifunctional system for calculating and optimizing interregional relations in the agricultural sphere, ensuring the achievement of cost-effectiveness in implementing processes for balanced and economically efficient regulation of food supply to regional populations; propose a mechanism for determining and evaluating the competitive advantages and competitiveness of industries and regions of the Volga economic region, taking into account the specific characteristics of interregional food links. Three options are proposed for transferring some of the produce from donor to recipient, including with government support. Option selection is automatic. The proposed model can be integrated organically into the Single digital platform of agro-industrial and fisheries complexes of the Russian Federation, which will be created in accordance with the Federal Law "On the Public-Sector Training Economy in the Russian Federation", entering into force on October 1, 2026. An intermediary platform can be formed on its basis.
Digital technologies have long extended beyond the urban economy and are gradually penetrating agricultural production – unevenly, with notable regional contrasts, but steadily. This study examines how this process affects labor productivity and employment structure in the agricultural sector of Russian regions. The uneven digital transformation of agriculture determines the relevance of the topic: in regions with developed technological infrastructure, agricultural production becomes noticeably more efficient, while territories with limited access to digital resources risk becoming permanently lagging. The methodological basis of the work includes statistical and structural analysis, spatial econometric methods, and tools for assessing interregional inequality. The empirical base was formed using Rosstat data and materials of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation for 20 agricultural regions. An integral digitalization index was developed for a comprehensive assessment of the technological readiness of the regional agricultural sector. The results confirm a stable positive relationship between the level of digitalization and labor productivity and indicate spatial clustering of regions by degree of technological development. The identified phenomenon of digital polarization of agricultural territories requires attention from public policy – primarily in terms of developing digital infrastructure in rural areas and training personnel of a new profile.
Against the backdrop of tightening external economic restrictions, growing uncertainty in international trade, and the transformation of resource supply channels, assessing the resilience of the agro-industrial complex to external shocks is becoming increasingly important. This is due to the fact that the agro-industrial complex not only ensures food production, but also functions as part of a broad system of intersectoral linkages that includes processing industries, chemicals, machinery manufacturing, logistics, and trade. This creates a need for analytical tools capable of examining the consequences of import restrictions for the agricultural sector as one of the key elements of the national economy. The article is devoted to the development of an agent-based dynamic model designed to analyze the adaptation of the agro-industrial complex to import restrictions. The model is based on an input-output table and takes into account inventories, production cycles, intersectoral linkages, as well as two adaptation mechanisms: short-term balancing of production linkages and more inertial import substitution. To assess the sensitivity of the agro-industrial complex to external economic shocks, computational experiments were conducted involving the successive shutdown of imports in individual sectors under two scenarios: with and without restrictions on production growth in the affected sector. It is shown that the response of the agro-industrial complex is determined not only by the condition of the agricultural sectors themselves, but also by the position of related industries within the system of intersectoral linkages. It is established that, in most cases, import restrictions do not lead to a noticeable change in the output of the agro-industrial complex; however, there are several sectors in which a decline in imports leads to the growth of the agro-industrial complex. These include agriculture, food processing, textile and leather production, chemical production, and the production of certain types of equipment. The results obtained may be used to assess the resilience of the agro-industrial complex to foreign trade shocks and to identify sectors that are critically important for its adaptation.
The relevance of the study is determined by the increasing marketization of the agricultural sector and the need to overcome institutional traps associated with multi-link product distribution, where each intermediate counterparty accumulates part of the added value, producing price disparity. The aim of the work is to conceptualize the economic feasibility of agricultural producers' transition to direct forms of sales through the prism of the transaction approach and the theory of distribution efficiency. The methodological toolkit is based on a synthesis of neoinstitutional analysis (assessment of transaction costs), methods of economic and statistical comparison of sales channels, as well as the application of the marketing efficiency coefficient and a modified Lerner index to assess the market power of intermediaries. The information base consists of data from Rosstat, sample surveys of 87 agricultural organizations in the Central Chernozem region, as well as materials from foreign meta-analytical studies. The results demonstrate that the direct sales channel (the "producer-consumer" chain) provides a 2.3-3.1 times higher level of return on sales compared to multi-level intermediary schemes, but is associated with increased requirements for logistical infrastructure and marketing competencies. It is revealed that the key factor limiting the transition to direct sales is not the lack of economic benefit, but structural inertia and the shortage of specialized marketing services. Diversification of the sales strategy with the inclusion of direct channels is proven to increase operating profit in the long term by 37-189%, which corresponds to the conclusions of modern science about the effects of agroecological diversification. The practical significance lies in the development of an algorithm for the phased replacement of traditional intermediary chains with direct communications with end consumers.
The article presents the results of research into the market and ecosystem of the data economy in the agro-industrial complex, which is considered as a multi-level system of economic, institutional and technological relations shaping a new model of agricultural production and sectoral governance. The study is based on a transition from the отраслевой to the systemic level of analysis and examines the data economy through the logic of production, integration, public and infrastructural levels. It is shown that agribusiness acts as the main source of primary data generation used to improve the efficiency of land, labor and capital utilization, as well as to form new models of business management. The public sector performs regulatory, standardization and trust-institutionalization functions, ensuring the collection, verification and use of data within state governance, support mechanisms and food security management. The infrastructural and integration contours create the technological and organizational basis for data circulation, including digital platforms, state information systems, digital profiles, integration buses, connectors, event models and digital twins. The analysis identifies the key strengths of the development of the data economy in the agro-industrial complex, including the growing role of data as a factor of production, the development of the sector’s platform architecture, the emergence of a hybrid model of interaction between the state and the market, and the institutionalization of digital practices at the state level. At the same time, several limitations are identified: fragmented databases, weak integration of state and commercial information systems, differences in the architectural maturity of sector participants, as well as the risk of data circulation becoming predominantly locked within the administrative contour. The article concludes that the unified digital platform of the agro-industrial complex acts as a system-forming element of the market and ecosystem of the data economy and, depending on the nature of its functional implementation, may either constrain or stimulate the development of the commercial segment. The necessity of forming a unified sectoral agri-data contour as the basis for the development of the data economy in the agro-industrial complex, improvement of sector governance and strengthening of Russia’s food security is substantiated.