KHABAROVSK, August 23. /TASS/. Russia still directly imports more than half of all non-food goods even though it could potentially make some of these products in country, Industry and Trade Ministry’s department director Nikita Kuznetsov told a forum.

"We’ve recently observed an increase in retail trade turnover, a growth in revenues, and a rise in consumption. Should we channel these funds into domestic production, for domestic industry? Absolutely, we should. And here we come to what we consider to be the key problem: statistically more than 50% of non-food goods are directly imported. If we include components, this number rises to 70% or more. <…> We invest at least 15 trillion rubles ($163 bln) per year into foreign economies," he said.

Russia can't produce everything that is imported today, the official said, adding that this is not realistic. However, there are areas where the potential of domestic manufacturers remains largely untapped, he noted.

"We have calculated with colleagues state procurements of one of the regions, not a small one but by no means the largest either. If spending on office supplies is added up, those funds would be enough to build three full-fledged plants to produce those goods. <…> Currently, the procurement departments of our retail chains are essentially acting as sales departments for Chinese manufacturers. We need to reverse this," Kuznetsov said.

Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry has put forward an initiative for retailers to promote and stock a portion of their assortment with Russian-made products to "educate producers" on meeting consumer demand. "This way, we strengthen Russian brands, which in many cases are currently losing out to large multinational brands," the official added.