Russia boosts agricultural exports to friendly countries 25% in 2022 - dep PM

MOSCOW. Dec 26 (Interfax) - Russia boosted agricultural exports to friendly countries 25% in 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko told the Rossiya 24 TV station.

"We will continue this work," she said.

She said surplus was sold abroad, the sector's priority being to observe the food security doctrine and saturate the domestic market with food.

"Our partners in the EU have, as a result of the imposed sanctions, themselves voluntarily rejected even food, which was not originally envisaged as a sanctioned product," she said. "But due to the fact that restrictions were introduced on insurance, logistics, mutual settlements, our banks, including Russian Agriculture Bank, were cut off from the interbank system of mutual settlements, and because of all this, we can supply practically nothing today, for example, to the EU, neither mineral fertilizers, nor food," she said.

Abramchenko said Russia had not only had a record grain harvest this year but had also significantly increased production of vegetables and potatoes. In addition, state support for agriculture was increased, and all windfall revenues "that come into the budget from the fishery complex, from the agro-industrial complex go back into the sector for a new array of support measures or for existing state support measures." "And, of course, this decision, supported by the president and taken by the prime minister, has helped the industry in this difficult period," Abramchenko said.

The Russian Agriculture Ministry expects agricultural exports to rise to $40 billion this year, from $37.1 billion in 2021.