India sees prospects for importing buckwheat, medicinal plants from Russia - Agroexport
MOSCOW. Sept 29 (Interfax) - India, which is increasing purchases of pulses from Russia, also sees prospects for supplies of niche grain crops, particularly buckwheat, while there is also demand for medicinal plants, the agriculture advisor of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry Baskar Reddy said, as reported by the Agroexport federal center following the conclusion of a Russian exporters' mission to New Delhi on Sunday.
"There are opportunities to expand trade in peas and chickpeas, as well as niche grain crops that India does not produce due to climatic conditions, such as buckwheat," Reddy said.
Significant potential also exists for supplying medicinal plants, which are in high demand in India, he said.
Russia supplied almost 900,000 tonnes of peas to India in 2024, becoming the second-largest exporter of this pulse crop to the Indian market, the executive director of the Union of Grain Exporters Kseniya Bolomatova said. "Russian farmers are extremely interested in increasing shipments to India and are ready to make products according to the requirements and wishes of the Indian side regarding size, variety and other characteristics," she said.
India has already entered the top ten largest buyers of Russian agricultural products, the head of Agroexport Ilya Ilyushin said. Exports doubled last year compared to 2023, totaling $2.6 billion. "We see significant potential for expanding supplies. By 2030, their level could reach $2.8 billion through shipments of vegetable oils and pulses, as well as a significant increase in exports of value-added products, in particular meat, beverages, and finished products," Ilyushin said.
According to the deputy head of Rosselkhoznadzor, Roman Miloradov, certificates for exporting fish and fish products, feed, raw hides, sheep wool and goat down from Russia to India were agreed upon in 2023-2024. A total of 23 Russian enterprises are currently authorized to export meat, dairy and egg products to India.
Roman Babushkin, the minister-counselor at Russia's embassy in India, said there is every reason to expect that agriculture will become one of the leading areas contributing to the growth of bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030. This task was set by the countries' leaders, he said.
The business mission to India was attended by more than 30 Russian companies exporting agricultural products as well as representatives of more than 40 Indian companies, industry associations and government authorities. The mission was organized by Agroexport and the Russian Agriculture Ministry as part of the World Food India 2025 exhibition.
