Russia is already the largest supplier of food to the African continent and is going to strengthen its position.
This information was shared by Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Maxim Uvaidov, speaking at a panel discussion on the topic of «Long-term cooperation in the agricultural sector», organized by the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia and the Federal Center «Agroexport».
According to Uvaidov, the Russian Federation currently supplies up to a third of the total agricultural imports of all African countries.
In particular, Russia actively supplies such types of agricultural products as wheat and barley, as well as sunflower and soybean oils.
At the same time, there is huge potential to further increase supplies.
As experts note, the population of Africa exceeds 1.5 billion people and continues to grow. This year alone, an increase of 37 million people is expected.
Thus, Africa objectively needs more and more food, which opens up wide opportunities for Russia as an exporter.
Moreover, many African countries are currently experiencing economic growth and rising living standards. This also contributes to an increase in supply volumes and an expansion of their range.
Today, African countries spend $85 billion annually on food imports, with wheat imports accounting for 15% of this volume.
For example, in 2023, a significant increase in wheat supply volumes could be observed.
In addition, the Russian Federation supplies humanitarian aid to African countries, with about 200 thousand tons sent last year. Its recipients were Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Somalia, the Central African Republic and other countries.
According to analysts, Russian exports to Africa have ample opportunities for expansion in terms of meat and dairy products, as well as fish and some other products.
In many cases, an increase in living standards means that Africans are eating more animal-based foods, so the more it grows, the more actively such products will most likely be purchased.
By the way, Russia is already actively entering the markets of many African countries.
For example, it has representative offices in countries such as Algeria, Angola, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Ethiopia, Tunisia and South Africa.
They help ensure that interaction between Russian exporters and African buyers of agricultural products is as effective as possible.
In general, in 2023, the Russian Federation exported $6 billion worth of agricultural products to African countries. It is possible that this figure will be even higher this year.
