Scottish farmers are forming a co-operative to secure land in Russia after being lured abroad by the offer of cheap farms and a new start.

The governor of the Penza region, 500 miles south-east of Moscow, earlier this year visited Edinburgh to make a personal appeal to the Scottish farming community to set up there.

Vasiliy Bochkarev, the government leader for the region, urged farmers to take out long-term leases as the community struggles to modernise its agricultural industry after years of neglect following the collapse of communism.

A number of Scots farmers have recently returned from a fact-finding mission to the region.

Land there is being leased at a fraction of the cost it is here. In one example, permission to farm prime arable land under a 49-year lease could cost £200 an acre.

Although leases vary, it is thought similar land here would be around £50-£80 an acre just for a single year.

David Fairlie, 48, has 4000 acres of hill farm where he has sheep and cattle in Glen Clova in Angus and 1200 arable acres with potatoes and cereal at Carnoustie.

He said: "If we go over our money will help improve the infrastructure. But the potential is incredible. The whole thing is a breath of fresh air. They don't have all the regulations and the red tape, and someone with not a lot of money could start up there.

"Land is cheap, labour is cheap and rent is cheap. Fuel is slightly cheaper, with white diesel at about 26p per litre. The big saving is rent and labour. The economies of scale are huge.

"I do have family, but they are not going to come with me. My two sons are not really going to go into farming at all."

John Hair, 45, who has a family farm with his brother Jim with 2000 acres of crops including potatoes, mainly at Brechin, also in Angus, said: "It was extremely interesting there. We were welcomed very well.

"The scale of the thing is vast. It is colossal. It was not what we thought we were going to see. There was good, rolling land, it wasn't flat and derelict. Penza city is bonnie but there is no infrastructure around the farms. So it would mean a massive capital outlay. I think it would be a great opportunity, but it would take a lot of hard work to make it work.

"We do face the hurdle of the language barrier, but the government there seems to want to make it as easy as possible, compared to here, where they want to make it harder for you."

Russia is currently attempting to reduce its annual £6bn food import bill.

Crop farming is under way and cattle rearing and leisure activities such as hunting and fishing are planned. Penza has a long history but the modern 20,000 square mile region was established in 1939 and has a population of around 1.5 million.

The average temperatures is 18.5C in summer but plummets to an average of -11C in winter. Forests cover about half of its north-east territory.

So far Richard Willows, from Lincolnshire, and Colin Hinchely, from Nottinghamshire, are the only British farmers in the region after setting up business there four years ago.

Mr Hinchely's farm is half the size of his home county. His 30,000 acres grow wheat, barley, sugar beet, sunflowers and soya.

The move follows similar attempts in the 1990s to take British farmers to eastern Europe as it struggled to rebuild its agricultural industries. The National Farmers' Union Scotland acknowledged the benefits of cheaper, high-quality land. A spokesman said: "It is also easy to see why there is demand for the expertise of Scottish farmers. However, it would be a real loss to Scottish agriculture if we were to lose these people."

Stanislav Frolov, a grain farmer 70 miles south of Penza city, said that for Russian farmers, the development of infrastructure was important.