Russia is reliable partner on global food market – cabinet minister

Moscow’s end goal is to ensure global food security, Oksana Lut has said

Russia wants to be a reliable partner on the global food and agriculture market and help other nations ensure their agricultural security, Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut has said. Moscow is ready to move beyond the mere grain and fat-and-oil trade and launch joint agrotechnological projects with its partners, she told Global Grain and Pulses Forum 2026 in Dubai on Tuesday.

The nation remains one of the biggest grain producers and exporters in the world, according to the agriculture ministry’s data. Over the past five years, Russia exported grain and pulses to a total of 115 nations. Last year alone, it supplied 50 million tons of grain, including 41 million tons of wheat, to the global markets, the data said. Almost 80% of Russian grain exports go to Africa and the Middle East.

Russia plans to increase grain exports to 55 million tons this year and reach 80 million tons by 2030, according to the minister. “Our end goal is to ensure the global food security and strengthen our nation’s position in the world,” she told the forum.

Moscow does not plan to limit itself to end-product trade but also seeks “complex partnerships” with other nations including research, education, and infrastructure development to help them make their agriculture sectors more efficient, the ministry said in a statement. It also said Russian-made seeds were sold to 35 nations last year.

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Agriculture was named a key area of partnership during talks between the Russian and Nigerian foreign ministers earlier this month. Namibian Foreign Minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi described relations between the two nations as “historical and strategic,” adding that the potential for future bilateral cooperation is “vast.”