COLOGNE, October 6. /TASS/. The broad assortment and quality of Russian food products show that they are ready for being exported to the European market, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev said during the ANUGA-2019 food and drink fair in Germany’s Cologne.
"From the point of view of assortment, our products are fully in line with habits of European customers. <...> We believe that they [Russian products] are of higher quality as less types of chemicals are used in our agriculture. Therefore, our products are more environmentally clean," he said, adding that Russia planned to increase its agricultural imports to $45 billion by 2024.
The deputy premier also said Russia should change the structure of its food exports, focusing on readymade products.
Gordeyev leads the Russian delegation to the ANUGA-2019, a major international trade fair for food and beverages in Cologne that marks its 100th anniversary this year. A total of 41 Russian enterprises presented their products at the event, compared to 12 last year.