In 2020, Russia sold 79 million tons of products for $ 30.7 billion abroad. This is 20% more than a year ago.
Last year, the 2018 record was also broken (78.5 million tons and $ 25.8 billion).
At the same time, food imports from abroad in 2020 amounted to $ 29.7 billion. Thus, for the first time in modern history, Russia has shown a positive balance: received from food exports $ 1 billion more than it spent on it.
With which countries does Russia actively trade in food?
Its agricultural products are bought by 150 countries. First of all, this is China (13% of all exports) . Last year, China purchased $ 4 billion worth of Russian products (+ 26% by 2019). First of all, these are flour, soybeans and fish.
And also meat. Recently, a real meat catastrophe broke out in China: due to swine fever, half of the population died. In order not to switch to vegetarianism, the Chinese had to buy an impressive number of chickens from Russia (Russian meat exports in 2020 grew by almost half).
Because of China’s trade wars with the United States, these countries have sharply limited purchases from each other. In terms of products, China has found powerful support in the person of Russia, which has become a powerful driver for the development of the Russian agro-industrial complex. Especially in the Far East.
Turkey (10% of Russian food exports) should also be noted among the buyers. Over the past year, it purchased 9 million tons of grain for about $ 1.9 billion.
In third place is Kazakhstan (7% of food exports).
In 2020, Russian grain exports have grown especially (+ 33% compared to 2019). Overseas went 49 million tons for a total of $ 10 billion. Such record figures are associated with several reasons:
— Low yields in a number of countries (for example, China and the USA) due to the pandemic.
— Uncertainty and fears in connection with the coronavirus, forcing to make grocery stocks.
— A sharp rise in the exchange rate of the dollar and euro, which is extremely beneficial for exporters.
In addition to grain, exports of sugar and sunflower oil rose sharply, which also showed a significant increase in prices on the domestic Russian market.
Will there be a new record in 2021?
Experts believe that it will be difficult to surpass the indicators of 2020. If only because the government has introduced a number of measures restricting food exports (quotas and duties).
At the same time, the federal project for 2021 provides for the achievement of the volume of food exports at the level of $ 28 billion. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, there is every reason to hope that this level will be achieved — and possibly even surpassed.
