The India correspondent of the news outlet Russia Today (RT) referred to the conversations between the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Patrushev, and the Indian ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, during which the representative of Moscow expressed his interest in continuing to develop mutual trade.
Patrushev added that Russia is ready to increase exports of vegetable oils, livestock and fishery products, wheat and legumes to India and is willing to import more agricultural products from India, including fruits and vegetables.
In the last financial year, trade between India and Russia surpassed 65 billion dollars, largely due to the increase in Delhi’s oil purchases from Russia, RT said, recalling that both countries have set a new bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2030, with agriculture as a key area for expansion.
According to the Agricultural Products and Processed Food Export Development Authority, India is currently the world’s eighth-largest agricultural exporter, with exports worth around $48.7 billion in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the news source stated. .
Quoting recent statements by an Authority official, RT also said that Russia offers significant opportunities for Indian exporters in several categories, including whole grains, pulses, millets, processed foods, spices and fruits.
“The Russian market offers large scope for export of agricultural and food products and Moscow is currently supporting India by facilitating market access for Indian companies,” said the representative of the Agricultural Products and Processed Food Export Development Authority.
The Russian news outlet recalled that India is the world’s second largest fruit producer, being known for its mangoes, bananas and grapes, and stated that its processed food sector is also expanding with exports valued at around $7.7 billion last year.
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