MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. Russia can make up for the shortfall in strategic raw materials, which are currently mainly imported, by implementing international projects to develop deposits abroad, according to the Strategy for the Development of the Mineral Resource Base until 2050, approved by the Russian Government.

"An additional mechanism for compensating the deficit of minerals of the third group is to implement international projects to develop deposits abroad, including the acquisition by Russian companies of mineral resources assets in countries not on the list of unfriendly countries," the document said.

The third group includes scarce types of minerals, domestic consumption of which is largely met by imports. It includes, for example, uranium, lithium, titanium, tungsten, and other types of raw materials.

According to the strategy, the main reasons for the insufficient use of scarce raw materials are the lack of necessary mining capacities, effective industrial technologies, high costs of mineral processing, as well as unfavorable geographical location of deposits.

"At the same time, the low level of domestic demand and the limited competitiveness of domestic products on foreign markets are restraining the interest of investors in developing the production base of the country's mining industry," the document noted.

According to the strategy, overcoming dependence on imports of scarce raw materials requires conducting an inventory of unused subsoil resources with their geological and economic assessment, analysis and updating of geological exploration data, development of new technologies for enrichment and deep processing of mineral raw materials along the entire chain of obtaining final industrial products.

At the same time, the main incentive for effective development of deposits of scarce types of minerals should be an increase in domestic demand for them, including through creating in Russia new local production facilities for deep processing of raw materials and obtaining final high-tech products.