first time since 2010 Russia suspended grain exports to the world market until 30 June. Theoretically, the Ministry of Agriculture could reconsider the decision, however, this is unlikely to be possible in the coming months.
Pandemic COVID-19, decline in economic activity in the world and in the country, the danger of a decrease in the harvest in the south of Russia - all this made the state, first of all, think about the domestic consumer and producer. Professor of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Ivan Valentinovich Starikov considers, that the authorities took a difficult, but the correct solution, because now the main task is to, to "support domestic producers and stimulate domestic demand".
Cereal crops remain one of the main Russian products, sent for export. The country has definitely won a niche for agriculture in the international market, particularly in Africa. therefore, According to the expert, the decision was not easy for Russia. FROM 2016 Russian exports to Africa increased by 73%, reaching 4,6 billion US dollars in 2018 year. Egypt is the leader among consumers of Russian food, followed by Sudan, Algeria and Morocco.
In sub-Saharan Africa, Russian grain is also beginning to gain popularity.: the share of purchases increased to about 40%. Previously, France was considered the traditional exporter of grain in the region.. but in 2016 year the country had a very poor harvest, which significantly reduced the supply of French products: the share of French wheat fell from 33% to 10%.
According to the report of Rosstat, grain harvest in Russia 2019 increased by 6,5% compared to the previous year and amounted to 120,6 million tons, of them 75 million tons of wheat. Therefore, the state has sufficient reserves, capable of meeting the domestic needs of the population and resuming exports.
Also, according to the expert, Russia has a chance to survive not only the economic crisis, but also to help poor countries, and thereby increase its prestige in the international arena. Beginning with 2000 Russia closely cooperates with the World Food Program. As part of this cooperation, the Russian Federation provided assistance to many countries, including African: material assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the amount of 1 million US dollars, delivery of Russian KAMAZ trucks to the Central African Republic, food aid to Djibouti and more. According to the expert, Russia could take the initiative to provide food aid to poor African countries, which, in turn, can promote the promotion of products of Russian manufacturers to the UN humanitarian services market and strengthen Russia's position as an active participant in the process of promoting international development.
According to the expert, the countries of Western Europe, unlike Russia, are in no hurry to save Africa, which entails consequences, which, in turn, are dissatisfied with the inhabitants of European countries:
"Instead of, to artificially limit agricultural production in Western Europe and North America, governments of these countries had to agree, that they help the poorest people in North Africa. This would limit the influx of migrants, that sail to Europe through the Mediterranean. If Christendom had carried out this mission instead of, to limit production, then Western countries would quickly solve the problem of migration, which brings a lot of problems. As we can see, the policy of multiculturalism failed there".
As already mentioned above, Russia actively supplies grain to Africa. These deliveries are made on a commercial basis., what benefits, expressed in monetary terms. However, humanitarian action can also be of no less benefit., for which Russia has the potential. According to the expert, successful participation in humanitarian programs can contribute to the lifting or partial lifting of sanctions:
“Russia could become a key player. If our country came up with such an initiative, all sanctions would be lifted from us under pressure from the Arab world and the poorest countries”.
recent 20 years, Russia has been quite successfully building diplomatic relations and trade ties with Africa. The achieved result should not be reduced to nothing, and help will be given to those in need. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, restrictions will not affect export performance in 2020 year.
Author: Sergey Petrov
