Agro-industrial complex with foreign partners' interaction was discussed at Agroforum in Ufa

Two years of active work by Bashkir agricultural enterprises and the Ministry of Agriculture to build trade relations with counterparties from Asian regions have confirmed a relatively loyal and friendly partnership attitude towards Russian agricultural producers. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Agriculture of the Republic Ilshat Fazrakhmanov in his speech at the international track “Turn to the East,” which became one of the main events of the business program of the Agricultural Forum and the 34th international exhibition “Agrocomplex.” The head of the Bashkir agro-industrial complex believes life pushes the region’s agricultural producers to reorient commodity flows to the East.

Ilshat Fazrakhmanov noted the rich experience in interaction with European importers and their more attractive logistics in terms of price while simultaneously recognizing the incomparably greater capacity of the Eastern and Asian markets, with which long-term reliable relations must be established.

“Two years of work with China, with the CIS countries, and the start of deliveries to India and African countries gave us the feeling that there is an attitude that is probably friendlier. The only thing that is a limiting factor is, of course, complex logistics,” he said.

“If China is fascinating to us not only as a sales market but also as a supplier of equipment, African countries are interested primarily as consumers. The population there is actively growing. This is a big market for our milk powder, flour and grain, and vegetable oils - products with a shelf life of more than a year. Some African countries are former colonies, are not poor, and can buy these simple and costly products.

It is necessary to change the approach to agribusiness—to produce products only “to order,” in demand, and highly profitable. If we sowed something at hand earlier, then we sold it somehow—now you can’t live on it. We want to convey this idea to all farmers,” Ilshat Fazrakhmanov previously said at a briefing dedicated to the Agricultural Forum and Agricultural Exhibition.

Author: Elina Akhmetova