According to the high-ranking official, although there are some technical problems due to Western sanctions against Moscow, friendly nations do not politicize trade, and buy Russian products, which is the most important thing, the Sputnik news agency reported. Trade with Europe also continues but, according to Abramchenko, ‘it is not possible to speak in this case of a growing sales market for Russian foodstuffs’.

In March 2022, the Russian government added dozens of names to its list of ‘unfriendly countries’ which includes, in particular, Australia, Canada, South Korea, United States, Japan, Montenegro, Norway, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Singapore, Switzerland, the European Union and Ukraine.

Late in November last year, the Russian Minister of Agriculture, Dmitry Petrushev, estimated the value of agro-food exports at the end of 2022 at around 40 billion dollars.

In 2021, that item reached $37.1 billion, a 21 percent increase over the previous year.

mh/abo/rgh/gfa