The export of Russian agricultural products to China has grown by 24% this year compared to last year, according to the Agro-Export Center of the Ministry of Agriculture. In ten months, more than 3.7 million tons of food products worth 3.2 billion dollars were delivered to China.
China thus retains the status of the largest importer of Russian agricultural products; accounting for 14% of domestic agricultural exports. China is especially a buyer of Russian fish, soybeans, sunflower, rapeseed and soybean oil, poultry and beef, wheat flour, chocolate, honey, and other products.
The supply of poultry meat to China is physically 3.5 times higher than last year and 2.8 times in value, Agroexport compares. During 10 months of 2020, 123 thousand tons of poultry meat worth 226 million dollars have already been shipped to the Chinese market – about 65% of all Russian exports in this category.
The export of beef, which has been possible since January 2020, amounted to 5.9 thousand tons, including by-products worth $31 million. According to Gazprom analyst Daria Snitko, China was the first country confronted with the coronavirus pandemic and is also the first country to emerge from the crisis, which everywhere was accompanied by economic contraction.
“At the end of the year, among the largest economies in the world, only China will experience positive GDP growth. In a situation where there is almost no demand on the world markets and prices have fallen, China has already started purchasing various raw materials. I see this as the main reason for the growth of Russia’s food exports to China,” said the expert.
According to Agroexport, Russia has the potential to further expand exports of fish, fats and oils, meat, and dairy products to China. In particular, in the coming years, we can expect an increase in the export of the main types of vegetable oils (sunflower, soybean, rapeseed), flour and meal, as well as soybeans and rapeseed.
The main task for increasing meat exports to China is opening the market for Russian pork, something Moscow has been negotiating with authorities in Beijing unsuccessfully for five years.