ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. In the first half of 2023, Russia’s wheat supplies to Africa tripled year-on-year to 9 million tons, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev told reporters on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit.

"We delivered almost three times more wheat to African countries than in the same period last year, which is approximately 9 million tons. This is an unprecedented volume. We have not reached such figures before. But we see that the potential is far from being exhausted," he said.

Patrushev noted that the turnover of agricultural products between Russia and Africa is growing. In the first half of 2023, it grew by 60% year-on-year reaching about $4.5 billion. "And we do not plan to stop at the achieved figures," the minister noted.

"If you look specifically at the export of Russian products to African countries, then the figure is even higher. In the first half of the year, our export almost doubled and today it is about $3.3 billion. <…> We work with African countries. And I think that our exports will increase," Patrushev concluded.

The second Russia-Africa Summit, along with an economic and humanitarian forum, is taking place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on July 27-28. Similar to the first such event in 2019, the summit is being held under the rubric "For Peace, Security and Development." The event is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS, which is the official information partner and photo-hosting agency of the summit and forum, is also hosting the second Russia-Africa Media Forum.