MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. Exchange-based trading in agricultural products totaled about 1 mln metric tons valued at 19.5 bln rubles ($196.1 mln) in the period January-September 2023, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) reports.

"Exchange trading in agricultural products over [the first] nine months of 2023 totaled about 1 mln metric tons for the amount of 19.5 bln rubles," the regulator stated.

Such exchange trading mechanisms as one-sided commodity auctions, executed according to orders by major producers, exporters or processors of agricultural products, are being proactively developed at the National Mercantile Exchange (NME), the regulator said. The number of participants in such auctions increased this year from 537 to 730 entities. "Furthermore, all of the formal procedures required for foreign bidders to access commodity auctions will be completed shortly," the FAS said.

The range of products traded on the exchange is growing on account of oily crops, sugar, sunflower oil and cake.

Spot trading in sugar is also increasing at the NME, with the trading volume doubling in January-September 2023 year on year to stand at 215,000 metric tons. The volume of registered OTC transactions with sugar has been over 5 mln metric tons since the start of 2023.