Russia, as humanitarian aid, delivered a total of 200 thousand tons of grain to the African continent. This was announced by Minister of Agriculture of Russia Dmitry Patrushev at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The first vessel came out on November 7 last year, the average route of each vessel was about 30-40 days. The last ship came to Somalia at the end of January, and on February 17 it was already completed,” said Patrushev.
According to him, as a result, 200 thousand tons of grain were sent to the African continent almost simultaneously. “Accordingly, in Mali, in Burkina -Faso, in Zimbabwe and in Eritrea, 25 thousand tons were delivered, and in Somalia and to the Central African Republic we sent 50 thousand tons,” he outlined.
speaking of export potential, the Minister of Agriculture said that Russia in 2023 sold more than 66 million tons of grain in the amount of almost $ 166 million abroad.
“For Russia, this is an absolute record. I am talking about 2023 now. Most of the volume we had wheat, corn and barley. Moreover, in the trade in wheat, we continue to hold first place in the world. Russia is the main supplier of this culture in such countries like Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India and China, ”said the minister.
According to him, contrary to a significant reduction in world prices today, Russian income from agricultural exporting exports continues to grow. “Accordingly, in 2023, the revenue amounted to $ 43.5 billion, which by one and a half billion exceeds our export revenue of 2022,” Patrushev said.
“The development of exports is facilitated by the expansion of its geography. Today, more than 150 states are purchased by our food, while in two years we have managed to significantly reorient our deliveries. Now 90 percent of our entire products are sent to the countries friendly to us,” he added.
Earlier, the President of the Russian Federation reported that Russia is ready to put from 25 thousand to 50 thousand tons of grain in a number of African countries in the coming months. “We will be ready in the coming months, the next 3-4 months to provide Burkina-Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, Eritrea of 25-50 thousand tons of grain,” he said.