Potential for Russian alfalfa exports put at $50 mln-$60 mln by 2030 - Agroexport

MOSCOW. April 11 (Interfax) - Russia could potentially be exporting 100,000-120,000 tonnes of alfalfa per year worth $50 million-$60 million by 2030, the Agroexport Center reported, citing preliminary estimates.

The country's exports of alfalfa, which is primarily used for haymaking, are currently negligible. Only a few farms in Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod and Ulyanovsk regions, Tatarstan and Marii El, and Krasnodar Territory grow alfalfa for export and the volumes are small.

Experts believe that alfalfa is one of the most undervalued crops in Russia. Its biggest producer is the United States, followed by the European Union, Argentina, Canada and China.

The alfalfa crop area at large and medium agricultural organizations in Russia totaled about 550,000 hectares in 2023, according to a Federal Statistics Service estimate cited by Agroexport. Alfalfa is grown in many regions of the country. Projects to process this crop are being implemented or are at the stage of implementation in Tyumen and Novosibirsk regions, Transbaikal Territory, Primorye and in the European part of Russia.

Agroexport experts believe that there will be demand for hay in many countries with land and water availability issues in the next few years. Russia, meanwhile, has potential to increase production of alfalfa thanks to the large amount of unused land in the country.

Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as China are seen as promising markets for exports.