Russia has significantly increased the volume of trade in agricultural products with Africa due to hidden exports through Turkey and India
Last year, Ukraine’s exports of agricultural products to Sub-Saharan Africa totaled $180 million, while Russia increased its exports to the region, and not only agricultural products, to almost $14 billion, said Artem Gudkov, director of the Ukrainian-African Trade Mission, during a roundtable discussion titled “Africa for Agricultural Exporters: Ways to Restore Lost Markets.”
“This is only what hits the bases, there are also hidden exports (of Russia – ed.) through Turkey, which grew abnormally, hidden exports through India, which also grew in product groups that are not typical for this country. If we translate it into seconds, Ukraine exports about 4.5 years worth of goods every year, while Russia exports 380 years worth. We can calculate the gap between us and Russia and understand where we will be in 5-7 years,” Gudkov said.
According to him, for Russia, exports to Africa have turned into a political tool and it has long ceased to be an economy. For Ukraine, it is still an economy, as it is difficult for Ukrainian exporters to reduce prices for their products at international tenders, thus losing margins.
“When we come and say: “We are your key partner and we are feeding you,” Africans know that this is not entirely true. In terms of supplying even food, Russia is significantly ahead of us,” Gudkov added.
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