Wheat supplies have tripled this year, and exports of other agricultural crops are also steadily increasing in volume.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, in the first half of this year Russia supplied African countries with 3 times more wheat than in the same period of the previous year.
In general, the volume of Russian agricultural exports to this continent amounted to $3.3 million, of which wheat makes up the most significant share.
In total, in the first half of this year, Russia sent 9 million tons of wheat to Africa, which can be considered a record value, noted Russian Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev.
If we look at the situation over a longer period of time, over the past 5 years, African countries have increased imports of agricultural products by 25%, with a total purchase volume of up to $90 billion.
Moreover, it is planned that with the increase in the African population, both the volume of consumption of agricultural products and the volume of their purchases will continue to grow.
All this gives Russian farmers a wide range of opportunities, which they skillfully use.
For example, today the Russian Federation accounts for 20% of all African imports of wheat, 18% of barley and about 13% of soybean and sunflower oils.
Over the past 4 years, Russia has begun to supply African countries with 80% more soybean oil and 7 times more poultry meat.
It is planned to further increase the volume of exports of both these products and some others, including, for example, fish, as well as confectionery.
Which countries buy Russian grain?
First of all, these are Algeria and Egypt. It was these countries that paid Russia the most money for the supply of agricultural products.
Egypt, for example, purchased such products for $1.5 billion, and Algeria for $440 million.
Compared to last year, supplies to these countries increased by 80%.
Moreover, Algeria and Egypt are the only African countries that are included in the list of the top 10 largest importers of Russian agricultural products, which indicates that the volume of purchases is really serious.
However, these 2 states are far from the only African countries with which Russia actively trades.
For example, Dmitry Krasnov, General Director of the Federal Center «Agroexport» under the Ministry of Agriculture, notes: over the past year, agricultural products from the Russian Federation went to 43 African countries, and in total they managed to earn about $5 billion.
Moreover, we are talking not only about the supply of wheat, but also vegetable oils and other categories.
It is planned that in the coming years the trade turnover of the Russian Federation with African countries will continue to grow.
