Russia increases agricultural product exports 12% in 2023 - Agroexport

MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax) - Russia increased exports of agricultural products 12% in 2023 to over $45 billion, Andrey Kucherov, deputy head of the Agriculture Ministry's Agroexport center said at a plenary session at the Prodexpo 2024 exhibition on Monday in Moscow.

As reported, in 2022, exports amounted reached $41.6 billion. Add on 12% growth, and the 2023 figure comes to $46.6 billion.

Kucherov said that the 2022 results placed Russia at 17th in the world ranking of agricultural exporters. "So far, data for 2023 is not all available, so we cannot see whether we have advanced in the ranking, but we can say that in terms of scale, we have reached the level of countries such as Australia and Argentina," he said.

He said that Russian products were shipped to 150 countries last year, and that "the focus has shifted towards friendly countries." Exports to these countries at the end of the year increased 20%, with their share of total shipments reaching 87%. This includes exports to China, which increased more than 50%, to India, which were up 46%, to Egypt, which increased 13%, a 40% increase to Pakistan, 40% to Pakistan, a sixfold increase to Indonesia, and a threefold increase to Mexico.

Kucherov said that in 2023, 17 countries opened their markets to shipments of 48 types of Russian products, "including the rights to supply poultry meat to Algeria, fish to Tunisia, dairy products to Malaysia and to Hong Kong. An important event was the opening of the Chinese market for Russian pork," he said.

Kucherov said that, in the coming years, the export strategies of Russian agricultural business will include the development of infrastructure and distribution in foreign countries, the creation of brands for specific export markets, and more intense work in retail. Companies such as EkoNiva, Komos Group, Russian Fishery Company, Target-Agro, and Belevskaya Pastille Manufactory have opened representative offices in China. Some companies have rented warehouses in China and are developing distribution networks there.