Russian Agri-Food Economy: Major Factors and Trends

Russia’s agri-food sector demonstrates a growth the forth year starting with 1998. In 1999-2001 an average annual rate makes 106.2 per cent, in comparison with 100.1 per cent in five years prior reforms (Figure 1). Provisional estimates for 2002 shows growth at the level of 4 per cent. If the first two years the growth in the primary sector could be attributed mainly to the weather conditions in the current season it is not true: the increase of the GAO is achieved at expense of livestock husbandry. Now it is possible to speak about more or less sustainable growth in Russian agriculture.