the American publication The National Interest published an article from which it follows that wheat is a new hybrid weapon of Russia, which is about to be used against the rest of the world. The US claims that our country can stop wheat exports to exert political pressure on certain States. They say that want of bread, agree with our position on all issues. Agricultural market experts believe that such statement is a blatant provocation. If the buyers of domestic grain will panic, against Russia it will be possible to impose additional sanctions to take the place of the leader on the world market and the income from exports.
Russia 2028 may control 20% of world grain exports, according to National Interest. The growing dynamics of our production, obviously frightened of representatives of the United States. In this regard, they decided to strike a rapid blow and try to overtake our country in the grain race. According to American journalists, the actions of the Russian government, namely, increasing of grain production, threatening the world.
From the publication it shows that Russia can undermine the food security of other countries, if it decides to stop its exports. As an example they cite the situation which arose in April of this year, when the pandemic of our authorities had to limit export of grain, which is put in a difficult position, Bangladesh, Turkey and Egypt. Note that these countries were able to find other sellers, and we do not cut off the supply completely.
In the United States also did not take into account the fact that the harvest this year in Russia can be very poor due to dry winters. The uncertain prospects of survival if a pandemic forced to restrict the export of grain to meet the needs of the domestic market.
the Americans Have their own ideas about how policy works and how it is associated with the supply of food to other countries, says the President of the Russian grain Union Arkady Zlochevskiy. “Political pressure by restricting supply we never used, and prerequisites for such solutions, no. This is nonsense — he says. — In the U.S., this practice is widely prevalent, in contrast to Russia.” According to Zlochevsky, in the coming years Russia is hardly a purely technologically will be able to ramp up production of wheat.
anyway, food has become an important instrument of influence on world politics. There are countries with excess produce, for example, the sugar palm little. They have to sell those volumes that are not needed by the domestic market. Also behaves and Russia. But selling the grain, it decides primarily economic and not political objectives.
“I don’t think we will use grain as a weapon. Although in 2010 �� like Russia has been accused — said the chief researcher of the Center for agrofood policy, Ranepa Vasily Uzun. We then restricted the export of wheat, as crop size was insufficient for its own market, but it was a necessary measure, not malice”.
Recall, then, some world leaders said that because of the actions of the Russian authorities came the “Arab spring”: Egypt bread was less and the people came out to protest. To prove that the wave of revolutions happened because of the stop of the supply of wheat is impossible, but still, Russia was blamed.
“Now we export 45-50 million tons of grain — continues to Uzyn. — Russia will not block the flow of wheat is the earnings of domestic producers, revenue for the budget. For example, the refusal to participate in the Olympics, as it was 1984, the most effective method of political punishment, rather than a ban on the export of food.”
the Political use of wheat exports seems unrealistic and unreasonable, the Executive Director of “Investment and agricultural Fund” Marina Strict. “Begun talk is just a political tool of the West, where I want to use this an excuse to use new sanctions to deprive Russia on the grain market and export earnings, respectively,” she concluded.
Dynamics of the Russian export of grain
Year Billion $ Million tons
2011 12 18,8
2013 16,8 19,6
2015 is 31.6 17
2017 21,6 44,5
2019 25,5 40,5
Source: “Agroeksport”
