Russia to up agricultural exports to 108 mln tonnes in 2024 - dep PM

MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - Russia will increase agricultural exports to 108 million tonnes this year from 103 million tonnes in 2023, with deliveries of value-added products rising 6%, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Thursday.

"Exports are growing constantly. We've already gone above $40 billion in value. In physical terms, we delivered about 103 million tonnes of our products to foreign markets last year, and this year we are planning more than 108 million tonnes," Patrushev said.

Russian agricultural products are now shipped to 160 countries, compared to 140 in 2013. "The geography is expanding, this year we have reached nine new countries, and, oddly enough, there are Luxembourg and Iceland, there are American countries. They love our products," he said.

Regarding measures to support exporters, Patrushev said that "it is important for all of them to be continued." "We essentially help supply our products, starting with their production and ending with delivery to the end consumer," he said.

He said that in recent years, Russia had been increasing exports of products with high added value, primarily confectionery, sugar, vegetable oils and products of animal origin. "The volume of high added value products supplied will go up 6% in 2024 compared to last year," he said.

To this end, Russia will reduce soybean exports this year in favor of processing them on the domestic market. "This year [in terms of harvest] we will approach 7 million tonnes. Last year we exported about 1.5 million tonnes, and this year we will reduce soybean exports because we need to increase supplies of products with higher added value. This year we will process more soybeans and export soybean meal and soybean oil. We're getting geared up for this," Patrushev said.

He also said buckwheat exports this year could increase to 300,000 tonnes from 200,000 tonnes a year earlier. "Last year we produced about 1.5 million tonnes of buckwheat, and this year, I think, we will achieve the same results," he said, recalling that the 2013 harvest was about 800,000 tonnes.

"Of course, we have the opportunity to export it. Buckwheat is popular in Russia, Belarus and China. We also supply it to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Last year we exported about 200,000 tonnes and this year I think we'll export even more - we are well on the way to 300,000 tonnes," Patrushev said.

Russian exported $43.5 billion in agricultural goods in 2023. The Russian president has asked for these exports to rise 50% by 2030 compared with 2021, and exports should reach $55.2 billion by then.