MINSK, 19 October (BelTA) - Close cooperation between Belarus and the Russian Federation in food security and agriculture is one of the key factors of development in the context of the Union State, political scientist Aleksei Dzermant told BelTA.
The world is having difficulties across many indicators of production, including food. These problems are faced not only by developing countries in Asia or Africa but also Western Europe.
"This is becoming a serious problem all over the world. At the same time, agriculture and food industries in Belarus and the Russian Federation perform very well. This year our countries cropped a good harvest. They fully provide themselves with meat, dairy and other food products," the political scientist said.
Belarus and Russia do not depend on foreign suppliers and, therefore, set their own conditions in domestic markets. "In other words, foreign suppliers cannot manipulate, blackmail, inflate prices and threaten our people with food shortages," Aleksei Dzermant added.
This is the result of many years of work to develop agriculture and food industries, including by means of investment and modernization of production capacities.
"It is important to note that for Belarus the Russian Federation has always been a premium and largest food market. Now we are also tapping new markets. For example, Asian countries. Therefore, cooperation in food security in the context of the development of the Union State is one of the key areas of our cooperation," Aleksei Dzermant emphasized.
He drew attention to the fact that Belarus and the Russian Federation constantly coordinate their agriculture policies, enter the markets of foreign countries, modernize production capacities. "Here, cooperation is strategic. On the one hand, we keep the food industry going at a high level. On the other hand, we fully provide ourselves with everything we need. We also export a lot and find economic partners where our products are in demand. And, of course, it is important to note that our products are of high quality, organic, affordable, which makes them competitive," Aleksei Dzermant noted.
The Russian Federation accounts for 72% of the farm exports of Belarus. In 2021 Belarus' agricultural exports to the Russian Federation amounted to $6.7 billion in monetary terms. In January-August of 2022, the export reached $5.168 billion.
