Officials comment on Russia's agricultural sector

Russia's share on the world agricultural market is 6 percent, on the grainmarket it is 12 percent and on the meat market 7 percent, while thecountry's share in the world GDP is less than one percent. Russia's shareof the world buying capacity is 2.5 percent, Sergey Rogov, director of theUSA and Canada Institute, declared at a meeting of the agrarian council,which took place at the Ministry of Agriculture. According to theInstitute's data, the USA provides 21 percent of the world GDP, while itsshare on the agricultural market is 15 percent.Citing these figures, Alexey Gordeyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministerof Agriculture, stressed that agriculture was not loss making, as somepeople in Russia thought it to be. "World practice proves the opposite andthe agricultural sector should be viewed as the main source of nationalrevenues and economic security", the Minister specified. He stressed thatthe current dynamics of growth of agriculture was by four percent exceedinga two percent advance of the whole economy. However, products of theRussian agricultural sector have low demand on the domestic market,Gordeyev admitted.Gordeyev mentioned that Russia had about 10 percent of the total area ofworld farmlands. However, in Russia there are only 10 people for every 100hectares of farmlands, while in the world this ratio is 85 people. Theworld's average ratio of technical processing of farmlands is one tractorfor every 60 hectares, while in Russia it is one tractor for every 100hectares. According to Rogov, Russian agriculture should be evaluated as arenewable resource, in contrast to oil, gas and other natural resources'reserves"..