The Prime Minister toured the exhibition showcasing the forum participants and addressed the plenary session titled Map of Russian Exports: The Route Has Been Established.
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov and General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov, General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina and VEB.RF State Development Corporation Chairman Igor Shuvalov
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov, General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina and VEB.RF State Development Corporation Chairman Igor Shuvalov
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov, VEB.RF State Development Corporation Chairman Igor Shuvalov and General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With VEB.RF State Development Corporation Chairman Igor Shuvalov
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov and General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov, General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina and VEB.RF State Development Corporation Chairman Igor Shuvalov
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov, General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina and VEB.RF State Development Corporation Chairman Igor Shuvalov
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov and General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina
Mikhail Mishustin addressed the plenary session, Map of Russian Exports: The Route Has Been Established
Mikhail Mishustin addressed the plenary session, Map of Russian Exports: The Route Has Been Established
Mikhail Mishustin visits an exhibition of the participants in the Made in Russia International Export Forum. With Denis Manturov and General Director of the Russian Export Centre Veronika Nikishina
Mikhail Mishustin’s remarks at the plenary session:
Good afternoon, esteemed forum participants and guests.
I am pleased to welcome you to the Made in Russia International Export Forum. The increasing interest in this platform from both domestic producers and foreign businesses reflects a rich and relevant agenda. Most importantly, the export of non-raw material and non-energy products from Russia has become a significant focus for tens of thousands of enterprises in our country.
Despite facing unprecedented challenges, domestic foreign trade continues to progress dynamically. According to the Ministry of Economic Development, the gross domestic product has increased by 4.2 percent in the first eight months of this year. This growth is primarily attributed to the transformation of exports and the expansion of cooperation with partners from friendly countries, whose share in the overall foreign trade turnover is steadily increasing. This trend reflects the objective shifts occurring in the global economy, particularly the growing significance of BRICS. It is forecasted that by 2028, this association will represent around 38 percent of the world’s GDP, factoring in new members, while the share of the previous leaders from the G7 is expected to decline. The President addressed this topic during a recent meeting of the Presidium of the State Council.
The Government is actively working to enhance connections between our entrepreneurs and partners from friendly nations. A diverse range of lending options is available, along with contract insurance to support these efforts.
As a result of these and other initiatives, exports to these countries have increased by approximately one-third over the past four years, reaching 86 percent of the total volume of domestic exports based on data from the first seven months of this year. Key markets include China, Turkiye, India, and Egypt, with trade with Vietnam also rebounding strongly. There is a consistent rise in the export of goods from the manufacturing, metallurgy, chemical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics sectors, as well as in the agro-industrial sector, particularly in grain and oil and fat products.
I would like to especially note the exporters from the Siberian, Southern, Far Eastern and North Caucasus federal districts. They have managed to almost restore exports to the pre-sanction level.
Foreign exports are important for many sectors of our economy.
Almost a third of the transport engineering output is sold abroad, as well as one quarter in the metallurgy sector. About 40 percent of grain is sold to foreign buyers. As for ready food, we supply 17 percent of vegetable oil abroad, which is also a lot, most importantly, only after fully satisfying domestic demand.
Quite recently in historical terms, Russia had to import many various foods, including important ones such as grain, poultry, pork and most vegetables. Now the situation has changed dramatically. This is very good.
The Government places the main focus on encouraging the expansion of trade in non-raw material, non-energy products, for a number of reasons. This work creates very powerful incentives for our enterprises in addition to the obvious income for businesses and the federal budget. If you like, it pushes them to develop their own competencies in medium and high value-added industries so that added value is created within the country as much as possible, as well as to increase industrial production volumes, master advanced technologies, promote digitalisation, introduce robotics, and form markets around innovative solutions.
All of this helps us create an effective economy, the very supply-side economy that the President spoke about and which serves as a catalyst for renewal, encouraging the growth of the quality of domestic enterprises’ projects, and the creation of modern and well-paid jobs in Russia, which is very important.
The Russian Export Centre, which is part of the VEB.RF group, the main development institution, remains a key player here. Work in this area also yields results. Supplies of non-raw material, non-energy products to friendly countries have grown by almost 11 percent over the first seven months of 2024.
The President has set an ambitious task for us for the next six years: to increase this kind of exports by at least two-thirds compared to 2023, and by one and a half times compared to 2021 in the agro-industrial sector.
This is to be achieved through efforts in a number of areas, first of all by continuing to build strong ties with our partners from friendly states, with many of them being represented today at the forum. I would like to address them. Friends! We can offer you the best products and the establishment of mutually beneficial cooperative ties based on our mutual interests and for the benefit of our citizens.
The strategic priority for our trade is the nations of the Global South, which are regarded as the markets of the future. The stagnation of the so-called developed economies would, in any event, have necessitated a reorientation of export flows. Sanctions have merely expedited the acceleration of these changes. Experts project that this macro-region will see an increase in demand by almost 400 trillion roubles over the next six years.
I appeal to domestic entrepreneurs and businesses: it is imperative that we develop these markets. We must ensure that, in addition to the benefits, our counterparties are sure that a Russian supplier epitomises reliability, offers the possibility of long-term cooperation, and guarantees quality.
Our domestic product range includes a plethora of competitive and interesting goods. Large-tonnage goods and industrial raw materials have long been fundamental to the operations of companies in numerous countries.
It is of great importance to augment the commodity basket with new items of medium and high value-added products. This process is already in motion. Last year, the relevant supplies to friendly countries exceeded 5.6 trillion roubles. The potential is, manifestly, much greater.
Today, this potential is concentrated not only in industry leaders such as the Rosatom Corporation , but also across a wide spectrum of medium- and small-sized businesses, minor technology companies and manufacturers – both those that export directly and those integrated into the supply chains of major players. During our today's visit to the forum's exhibition, we engaged in detailed discussions with several such companies.
The areas of potential growth are diverse, encompassing nuclear power technologies, which provide sources of light, heat, and comfort in our homes, and power for production. Public health is another area, including medicines, vaccines, and medical equipment and devices. Additionally, modern mobility in large cities and rural areas is critical – trains and subways, buses, lorries and helicopters. Safe and high-quality products, such as organic cosmetics, are also part of this growth.
Of course, it is necessary to consider not only tangible goods measured in units or tonnes. Today's exports also encompass creative services, including cybersecurity, space communications, mobile device applications, film and animation products, and music.
We can confidently assert that our foreign trade is undergoing a successful transformation. While it is true that we must contend with sanctions, overcome trade barriers, and establish new chains and logistics, both the Government and our development centres are systematically providing assistance in various areas.
This year marks the conclusion of the International Cooperation and Export national project, which has been in place since 2019. We are currently in the process of drafting a document that will outline the next stage.
Modern support tools enable us to offer businesses solutions throughout the entire project lifecycle – from selecting export niches and establishing business contacts to scaling up supplies and building a sales and service network abroad.
In collaboration with our business partners, we are working on increasing trade turnover, negotiating free trade agreements, and simplifying compliance confirmation procedures.
I am sure that we will gradually fine-tune the logistics completely. The limitations inherent in these services and the price reduce the competitiveness of supplies from Russia. And our efforts are intended to change this. The throughput of the domestic infrastructure should match the plans of the products import and export and be coordinated from first to last kilometre. We talk about it all the time at the Government meetings too.
The President paid special attention to this. We solve the tasks using the national project Efficient Transport System inside the country and the previously mentioned International Cooperation and Export project outside the country.
Development includes international transport corridors to all the target markets: through the Eastern route, the Azov-Black Sea route, the North-South route and, of course, the Northern Sea Route.
Financial services are an important area. The share of settlements in national currencies with some of our partners has already reached about 90 percent. We need to apply this instrument and other instruments, both traditional and new, still broader, of course in compliance with applicable laws. This will make it possible to build an alternative domestic infrastructure that will ensure international settlements based on fair principles.
Another meaningful aspect is the development of an umbrella brand, if I may say so, for all Russian products. Many countries have already done this and succeeded in it. This includes promotion of their goods on the shop shelves.
Reputation is generally a result of joint efforts of both the state and businesses. It is very difficult to remember all the names, and it is almost impossible for newcomers to penetrate markets that are already occupied. Therefore, we should have a common inscription Made in Russia, which would indicate a high quality of goods, inspire confidence even in a little-known brand and increase the general recognisability of products from our country. We all have to work on this very seriously. After all, today it is known mainly in the CIS, unless, of course, we talk about oil, metal and grain.
In order to change this status quo, on the instructions of the President, we are preparing, together with the Russian Export Centre, a programme to promote the national brand to use it for influencing trade relations in general as well.
The programme has a good basis for a start. About 8,300 goods have already been certified for participation in this programme. We expect growth by an order of magnitude.
It is important to promote them in a responsible manner and professionally, and provide for their recognisability. No doubt, it is also a very serious task for the Russian Export Centre and for all our agencies. It should be performed in partnership with the domestic companies – leaders of market segments and marketplaces. We need to pave the way for a wide range of suppliers. This was discussed at the already mentioned State Council meeting. And the regions are ready, I know, to get involved in this work. Some of the governors are present here.
Business contacts and promotion form the foundation of export, which is precisely why this platform was established. Naturally, the density of these connections should increase significantly: by an order of magnitude rather than just a few times. A robust network of trade missions, along with digital and agricultural attachés, as well as various formats for the foreign presence of development institutions, should support exporters effectively.
I would like to highlight the role of small and medium-sized enterprises, which constitute a significant portion of our suppliers – around 95 percent. This presents a strong foundation for further growth, particularly in the export of medium- and high-added-value products, especially within the consumer segment. It also opens up opportunities for expanding international cooperation.
Small- and medium-sized enterprises must be encouraged and supported in their efforts to enter new markets. Currently, specialised regional support centres are actively assisting entrepreneurs in 82 Russian regions, and the demand for their services is on the rise. This reflects a growing interest in fostering international cooperation.
We need to enhance our businesses’ understanding of the specifics of operating in different countries and broaden the range of services offered for educational and consulting support, as well as online and offline promotion in target markets. In the first nine months of this year alone, over 17,000 companies have already utilised these opportunities, which is a positive sign.
The spatial dimension is also crucial, as we discussed extensively at the recent meeting of the State Council Presidium. The President gave instructions to support regional efforts in the export sector and to act systemically across the country.
In collaboration with the Russian Export Centre, we will continue to assist our colleagues in the Russian regions by formulating and delivering the necessary recommendations in a timely manner. It’s essential to align regional and federal initiatives to promote exports effectively.
I want to emphasise once again that Russian technologies and exports of non-raw material, non-energy products can serve as a significant source of economic growth for the countries in the Global South. This is particularly true because we have always adhered to the principles of reciprocity and respect.
Colleagues, friends,
We are always prepared to establish honest, open, and genuinely business-oriented relationships with anyone acting in accordance with their sovereign interests, regardless of external pressure and propaganda, including that from the collective West. Many others share this perspective, which highlights the growing interest in expanding BRICS. Additionally, we are focused on developing long-term cooperation plans with major partners such as India, China, Turkiye, and Brazil, as well as with several major nations in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Today, the forum will feature several discussions addressing the most pressing issues in foreign trade development. I am confident that many interesting ideas will be shared.
I hope that, as a result of the forum, we will receive constructive proposals that the Government will carefully consider. We will certainly implement the most impactful and effective suggestions, as they will serve as the foundation for our regulatory and strategic documents.
I sincerely wish you all a successful and productive work.
