Markets of Eastern countries, including India, are strategically important for Russian agro-industrial producers. Chairman of the board of the Russian Grain Exporters Union Eduard Zernin told a TASS correspondent on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Business mission of Russian food exporters held in New Delhi.
"The biggest consumers of Russian grain are in the East and Africa, we have been present on this market for a long time, it is strategic for us," Zernin said.
He added that Russian companies are now seeking to consolidate their positions and expand their offers. "In our case we are rather talking about consolidating our strategic positions and expanding our offer, first of all, at the expense of leguminous crops. We are ready for mutual trade", the interlocutor pointed out.
Zernin also noted that Russian agricultural producers are analyzing the possibility of creating joint ventures with Indian partners, but so far this is prevented by several obstacles. "It makes sense to agree on joint ventures only after the removal of existing barriers, primarily the duty on wheat imports. In addition, an obligatory condition for the implementation of such joint projects should be access to the domestic Indian market, without it the economic sense of investments falls sharply", said Zernin.
The business mission of Russian food exporters is being held in India on March 14-18, during which Russian companies will introduce Russian agro-industrial products to their Indian partners. The event is organized by the Ministry of agriculture of Russia, the Russian embassy and the "Agroexport" federal center supported by the Indian Ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare and the Ministry of fisheries and livestock.
India is among the world leaders in milk and meat production, grain and leguminous crops. At the same time, the country is the world's largest importer of vegetable oils and is among the leading buyers of beans and lentils. In 2022, the volume of the republic's agricultural imports amounted to a record $34.1 billion. Russia ranked eighth among suppliers of agricultural products.
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Based on materials from TASS