September 30, 2011
Russia strengthens global market position in grains
Pavel Skurikhin, president of the National Union of Grain Producers said that Russian grain is strengthening its position in the world market.
Skurikhin said that in the Grain Russia-2011 international conference, more than 250 delegates from 20 countries attended, an unprecedented number for this kind of event. Turkey has sent 80 people to the conference. Its plans are ambitious. Turkey wants to triple flour production in the next few years and counts mainly on Russian grain.
He said the participants in the conference had come to Rostov-on-Don with specific tasks. "We saw how representatives of grain producers, grain processors and consumers were actively engaged in talks. Even if they haven't struck any deals on the sidelines of the conference, they are definitely going to do that after all the details of the deals have been finalized," Skurikhin explained.
He emphasized that grain exports remained an important income item and a source of currency revenues for the Russian state budget. Skurikhin called for consolidation of Russian positions in world grain markets.
The president of the National Union of Grain Producers said his task was to create cooperative marketing associations of consumers for the purpose of streamlining the sales of grain, including exports, to put big and small producers in an equal position and to be able to pursue a common grain policy.