MOSCOW, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The deputy governor and agriculture minister of Russia's Rostov region, a major grain-producing province, Konstantin Rachalovsky, has been detained by law enforcement, state news agency TASS reported on Monday.

TASS reported that Rachalovsky had been charged with exceeding his authority, resulting in damages of almost 156 million roubles ($1.70 million).

RIA Novosti cited the local FSB security service as saying the money was part of the state subsidies program for agricultural enterprises. Rachalovsky has been the region's top agriculture official since 2014.

Rostov is Russia's top grain-producing region, harvesting about 11% of all Russia's grain in 2023. The region also stands for about 20% of all Russia's agricultural exports. The region's crops were badly hit by extreme weather last year.

Rostov's veteran governor Vasily Golubev, who had run the region since 2010, was replaced by President Vladimir Putin in November of 2024.

($1 = 91.5000 roubles)

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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/top-agriculture-official-russian-grain-producing-region-arrested-tass-reports-2025-02-17/