“Food self-sufficiency is Russia’s true competitive advantage and should work in the interests of our citizens. We must protect them from price fluctuations in the world food market,” he said.
The Russian President called on the government to “permanently control this situation, with a clear and visible result for people and businesses,” the Kremlin’s official website said.
He warned that amid global food shortages this year, Russia needs to be more cautious about exports in the sector, especially to countries that have hostile policies against it.
He reminded that the Eurasian nation already has a variable tariff on the export of grain and sunflower oil, while the fertilizer market has been regulated for the stable work of farmers.
“We made these decisions well in advance and did the right thing,” Putin said.
In his speech, he urged to control the industry’s supply of fuel, seeds and breeding products and pointed to the importance of modern equipment and spare parts under conditions of external restrictions.
The head of state explained that the situation in the world food market has deteriorated in recent weeks, but has become significantly more complicated over the past two years due to mistakes made by developed countries.
“Errors in the economic, energy and food policies of the industrialized countries have led to a sharp rise in food prices worldwide,” he emphasized.
He clarified that difficulties in the energy sector are increasing in some European countries due to “harsh and unmarketable” punitive measures and pressure on the Russian company Gazprom.
“We are witnessing another attempt by our partners to fix their own economic and energy mistakes at Russia’s expense,” Putin said.
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