Russia to start exporting cheese in 5 years – the manufacturer will be able to
Russia will start exporting cheese to China as soon as the need for the domestic market is concentrated, in about 5 years, and could become an important market for China, said Sputnik of the Head of the Union of Cheese Makers of Russia Oleg Sirota.
He noted that before the pandemic, Chinese citizens often visit European countries and know European cheeses.
“The prospects are actually good, because China has a big market, high-end cheeses are already highly valued in China,” he said.
According to him, when Russia is overproduced in the cheese segment, their export to China, as well as to other countries, may begin. Sirota noted that the export of Russian meat to China is developing similarly. In 2021, China became a buyer of Russian meat; China, as in 2020, turned out to be more sensitive to demand in the meat category.
“Currently, Russia and Belarus consume about 90% of their dairy products. When we increase production by the remaining 10%, which is about 3 million tons, it will be possible to start exporting.” – he said.
In 2020, milk production in farms of all categories in Russia amounted to 32.3 million tons. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Russia’s self-sufficiency in milk and dairy products is 84%.
On April 1, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia would not supply food to unfriendly countries that opposed the sharp forecast regarding economic special operations in Ukraine. In 2021, Russia exported agricultural products worth $36,036 billion, which increased exports by 22%, and the EU took the first place among importers ($4,681 billion, 13% of total exports).