MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. Prices for imported long-grain rice not produced in Russia have gained 20-30% over the last year and a half, President of the Russian Grain Union Arkady Zlochevsky told TASS in an interview.
"Its prices have been appreciating over the last eighteen months. The price has increased by about 20-30% over that period," Zlochevsky said.
Russians annually consume one million metric tons of rice, with long-grain rice accounting for about 200,000 metric tons, the expert noted. Short-grain rice production in the country is enough for domestic consumption and exports, Zlochevsky said. Its production in 2023 will grow against the decline seen last year due to a waterworks accident.
"As a result, grain output went down last year from 1.2 mln metric tons to about 900,000 metric tons. Everything has already recovered this season. Furthermore, cropland was added in other regions. We will eventually produce from one to one and one tenth million metric tons of rice," Zlochevsky said.