November 5 2003, 10:26 Interfax

Russia will keep on increasing grain export potential in nearest years

Despite this year's drop in its grain production and decrease of export, Russia will retain its potential of expanding foreign grain sales in the nearest years, the President of Razguliay-UKRROS Group Igor Potapenko said November 4 in Barcelona to the First Session of Global Grain Conference, held in that city.

The Conference is being attended by more than 200 representatives from nearly 30 countries, which are the main participants of the world grain market.

Potapenko said Russia could restore and expand its export potential, first of all, on account of increase in grain production in the Central Region, and also in the Urals and Siberia. He thinks in those regions the trends of expansion of areas under grain crops, increase of their yields and improvement of quality are seen most clearly.

He noted that in recent years Russia had taken measures to expand and strengthen grain export infrastructure. In particular, the group he represents has commissioned this year a grain terminal in the port of Azov for 33,000 tonnes of one-time storage and transhipment of up to 2 million tonnes of grain per year.

In the last marketing year (July 1, 2002 to June 1, 2003) Russia exported about 16 million tonnes of grain. According to analysts, the export in this season will not exceed 5 million tonnes, Interfax agency informed.