FEATURES OF THE CURRENT ALLOCATION PATTERNS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THE RUSSIAN NON-BLACK SOIL ZONE

The macro-region Nonblack Soil Zone plays an important role in the development of the Russian economy, ensuring its food security. With the transition of the country to market relations, the distribution of agricultural production in all its regions has been transformed. These changes for the Nonblack Soil Zone have not been properly studied. This study focuses on the patterns of change in the location of agricultural production in the Nonblack Soil Zone. Research methodology relies on a combination of statistical analysis methods with heuristic methods (taking into account zonal and azonal factors) based on the use of fundamental works on agricultural zoning. The study has established trends towards a decrease in the role of the Nonblack Soil Zone in the all-Russian production of crop products and towards its growth for livestock products. An excessive concentration of production in pig and poultry farming has been revealed. On the basis of zonal factors, the northern, central, and southern groups of regions are identified. Taking into account the azonal factors, the central regions are divided into two subgroups: the main agricultural regions and those with suburban agriculture. The research has established Tendencies in changing the location of agricultural production. The authors have concluded that the main zone of commercial production of grain (except rye) and industrial crops (except fiber flax) is the group of southern regions, and the commercial production of winter rye, oats, fiber flax is the agrarian regions of the central zone. For the southern regions, there is a trend of high growth rates of corn for grain, sugar beet, sunflower. The group of central regions is the main producer of livestock goods. Given the trends, the role of the southern regions in the production of beef cattle and poultry products will increase in the future. In regions with suburban farming, the dairy specialization of cattle breeding is on the rise and the production of eggs and all types of livestock for slaughter is decreasing. Meanwhile, in the group of northern regions, the development of dairy and meat cattle breeding, the production of potatoes and vegetables is likely to improve.