Dynamics and geographical structure of Russian foreign trade. What Russia exports

29.09.2019

Foreign trade turnover is a value that represents the total sum of the import and export indicators of a particular state or group of countries.

Foreign trade and stages of its development

Foreign trade originated quite a long time ago, even at the moment when natural production. Neighboring countries and territories exchanged goods that they needed. Later, humanity “invented”, the functions of which were initially performed by various “tradable” goods: salt, fabrics, spices, skins and the like. Money has become a convenient intermediary in the exchange of goods for the organization foreign trade.

In pre-capitalist times, foreign trade actively developed and improved. And in the era of capitalism it acquired qualitatively new organizational forms.

Today, the concept of foreign (international) trade is understood as the entire complex of trade relations between individual countries or regions.

According to customs statistics, foreign trade turnoverRussian Federation in 2017 amounted to 584 billion US dollars and increased by 25% compared to 2016, including exports – 357 billion US dollars (an increase of 25%), imports – 227 billion dollars (an increase of 24%).

Dynamics of the most important indicators of foreign tradeRussian Federation in 2015 – 2017

In the structure of Russia's foreign trade by group of countries, the European Union (EU) occupies a special place as the largest economic partner, its share in the total volume of trade turnover of the Russian Federation in 2017 accounted for 42%, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries accounted for 31%. , for the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - 12%, including for the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) - 9%, for the countries of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) - 3%, for the BRICS countries - 18% , Asia-Pacific region – 32%.

Russia’s main trading partners in 2017 were: China –
15% of trade turnover of the Russian Federation (growth by 32%), Germany – 9% (by 23%), the Netherlands – 7% (by 22%), Belarus – 5% (by 26%), Italy – 4% (by 21 %), USA – 4% (by 16%), Turkey – 4% (by 37%), Republic of Korea – 3% (by 28%), Kazakhstan – 3% (30%), Ukraine – 2% (by 26 %).

Main trading partners of the Russian Federationamong non-CIS countries in 2017

Mutual trade of the Russian Federationwith states– members of the EAEU in 2017

(data in the graph is presented for 2017)

EXPORT RUSSIA.

Russia's exports in 2017 amounted to 357 billion US dollars and, compared to 2016, increased by 25% or 71 billion US dollars.

In 2017 compared to 2015-2016. In the total volume of Russian exports, the share of individual countries of the European Union decreased (in particular the Netherlands, Italy - by 2%), as well as Turkey, Japan and Ukraine - by 1%. At the same time, the share of Russian exports to the Republic of Belarus (by 1%) and China (by 3%), which took a leading position among partner countries, increased.

In 2017, the main share in the value volume of Russian exports was occupied by fuel and energy products - 59% (in 2016 - 58%), of which crude oil - 38% (37%), petroleum products - 24% (23%), natural gas – 14.5% (16%) and coal – 6% (4.5%).

The value of Russia's exports of fuel and energy products in 2017 compared to 2016 increased by 27% and amounted to 211 billion US dollars. At the same time, the physical volumes of exports of crude oil and petroleum products decreased by 1% and 5%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

Among the partner countries, the largest decrease in the physical volumes of exports of petroleum products and crude oil was recorded in relation to the following countries: the Netherlands (-8 million tons), the USA (-4 million tons), Latvia (-3 million tons) and Italy

(-3 million tons). At the same time, growth was recorded from China (+4 million tons), Denmark (+3 million tons), Singapore (+2 million tons) and India (+3 million tons). Belarus and Turkey reduced purchases of crude oil (-0.5 million tons and -0.8 million tons), but at the same time increased imports of Russian petroleum products (+1.5 million tons and +1.5 million tons).

Exports of natural gas in 2017 increased to almost all major partner countries, with the exception of the UK, which reduced purchases of Russian gas by 1 billion m3, and Hungary – by 0.7 billion m3.

The increase in the value of exports of fuel and energy goods was achieved due to an increase in prices for basic fuel and energy products by an average of 24%.

In 2017, compared to 2016, non-resource non-energy exports increased in value by 22.5% to 133.7 billion US dollars, and in physical volume - by 9.8%.

The share of exports of non-commodity, non-energy goods in the total volume of Russian exports in 2017 amounted to 37.5% in value, while in 2016 it was 38.3%; in terms of physical volume, the share of these goods increased slightly compared to last year and amounted to 22 .4%.

In 2017, while both value and physical volumes of non-resource, non-energy exports increased compared to the same period last year, there were no significant changes in its commodity structure. Structural changes amounted to no more than 1-2%.

The main non-resource non-energy exports of Russia have traditionally been:

Metals and products made from them (semi-finished products and flat rolled products from iron and unalloyed steel, unprocessed aluminum);

Machinery, equipment and vehicles(turbojet engines, fuel elements, parts for nuclear power equipment);

Chemical products (mineral and organic fertilizers);

Food products and agricultural raw materials (wheat and meslin). The total share of these goods in the value volume of non-resource, non-energy exports of Russia in 2017 amounted to 80.9%.

Exports of metals and products made from them increased by 29.7% to 35.9 billion US dollars, its share in the value of non-raw material exports amounted to 26.9% (in 2016 - 25.4%). Moreover, the physical volume of exports of metals and products made from them remained virtually unchanged compared to the same period last year (an increase of 0.4%), which is explained by an increase of 40%-45% in average export prices for semi-finished products and flat rolled iron and unalloyed steel, and also 20% for unprocessed aluminum. The share of these goods in the value of Russia's exports of metals and metal products over the last two years was 41%.

Supplies of flat rolled products to Italy, which occupied third place in the export of this product in 2016, were reoriented to Egypt in 2017, increasing compared to the same period last year by 2.2 times in weight and 3.2 times in value.

Exports of machinery, equipment and vehicles increased by 14.6% to 28.1 billion US dollars, its share in the value of non-resource exports amounted to 21.0% (in 2016 - 22.4%). The physical volume of exports of machinery, equipment and vehicles increased by 24.2%.

Exports of fuel elements decreased by 17.2%, mainly due to the cessation of supplies to India since 2017 (in 2016 their value was 163.8 million US dollars), as well as a reduction in supplies to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Armenia, and Ukraine.

The value of supplies of parts for nuclear power equipment to Bulgaria increased 356 times (from 343.9 thousand US dollars to 122.4 million US dollars). The value of supplies of these goods to Belarus has increased 6 times, while since 2017, supplies to Armenia and Poland have completely stopped.

Exports of chemical products, about 30% of which were mineral and organic fertilizers, increased by 15.0% (to 23.9 billion US dollars), its share in the value of non-raw material exports amounted to 17.9% (in 2016 - 19 .0%). The physical volume of exports of chemical products increased by 5.7%.

Exports of food products and agricultural raw materials increased by 21.5% to 20.3 billion US dollars and its share in the value of non-raw material exports amounted to 15.2% (in 2016 - 15.3%). The physical volume of exports of this category of products increased by 21.7%.

More than 37% of the value of this category of goods was grain exports.

Thus, while both value and physical volumes of non-resource, non-energy exports increased compared to the same period last year, there were no significant changes in its commodity structure in 2017. Structural changes amounted to no more than 1-2%.

IMPORT RUSSIA.

In 2017, Russian imports amounted to 227 billion US dollars and compared to 2016 increased by 25% or 45 billion US dollars.

In 2017, APEC countries became the main trading partners for imports, accounting for more than 40% of all imports. China's share in Russian imports is 21%. EU countries also occupied a significant share - 38%, of which Germany - 11%, Italy - 4%, France - 4% and others. The CIS countries accounted for 11% of all imports, including the EAEU countries - 8%, the main share was imports from the Republic of Belarus - 5% and Kazakhstan - 2%.

In 2017, the main share of the value of Russia's imports was made up of machinery, equipment and vehicles - 49% (in 2016 - 47%). Also, a significant share in imports was: chemical products - 18% (19%), food - 13% (14%), metals and products made from them - 7% (6%), textiles and footwear - 6% (6%) .

In 2017, the value increase in Russian imports was 53%
due to an increase in the value of imported machinery and equipment, which in absolute terms amounted to 24 billion US dollars.

Among machinery and equipment in 2017, the largest share in the value volume of Russian imports was: mechanical equipment - 41% (in 2016 - 41%), electrical equipment - 24% (25%) and means ground transport – 20% (18%).

In 2017, the main countries supplying imported machinery and equipment were China (26%), Germany (12%) and the USA (8%). At the same time
and the largest increase in imports of these goods also occurred
these countries, from China - by 6 billion US dollars, Germany - by 2.8 billion US dollars, the USA - by 2.6 billion US dollars.

Imports of mechanical equipment in 2017 amounted to 45 billion US dollars and increased by 28% or 10 billion US dollars compared to 2016.

This increase was due to an increase in imports of computers by 1.2 billion US dollars, while the increase in imports of these goods from China amounted to 0.9 billion US dollars. These goods were also imported to
2017 from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and other countries.

The growth in imports of mechanical equipment also occurred due to an increase in the import of bulldozers and graders (2 times in quantitative terms), equipment for processing rubber and plastics, parts of computers, liquid pumps, pneumatic tools, engines internal combustion, industrial machines and equipment and others.

The import of bulldozers and graders in 2017 compared to 2016 increased by $0.8 billion, the main increase in supplies came from the import of these goods from China - 2.3 times, Japan - 1.5 times, South Korea –
3 times.

The increase in the import of rubber processing equipment is associated with the delivery in 2017 of a multi-component plant for the production of linear low/high density polyethylene worth over US$0.5 billion from EU countries.

The supply of parts for computers has increased significantly
in 2017, China - by 340 million US dollars, in smaller volumes Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea - by 100 million dollars, 7 million US dollars and 10 million US dollars, respectively.

Imports of liquid pumps in 2017 increased by 410 million US dollars, of which from South Korea - by 160 million US dollars, Germany - by
60 million US dollars and China - 50 million US dollars.

In 2017, Russian imports of electrical equipment amounted to 27 billion US dollars and, compared to 2016, increased by 24% or 5.2 billion US dollars. At the same time, this 32% increase was formed due to an increase in import supplies of telephone sets for cellular communications on
US$1.7 billion. The main countries supplying these devices were China (63%) and Vietnam (17%).

Imports of ground transport equipment increased by
2017 compared to last year by 36% or by 6 billion US dollars. The increase was mainly due to an increase in imports of spare parts for passenger cars (including bodies, chassis, etc.) - by 2.6 billion US dollars, tractors - by 1 billion US dollars and trucks - by 0.9 billion . US dollars. At the same time, the share of passenger cars in the value volume of imports decreased significantly - from 38% to 31%, with a simultaneous increase in the share of tractors and trucks - from 11% to 17%.

An increase in the import of components for passenger cars in 2017 was registered from Germany (+34%), Japan (+52%), China (+29%), South Korea (+64%) and the Czech Republic (+52%), which is due to increasing the industrial assembly of Mazda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda cars in Russia, as well as expanding their model range.

Due to the increased demand in the Russian market for special equipment, the import of goods classified by codes 8701 “Tractors”, 8704 “Trucks” and 8705 “Special-purpose vehicles” increased in quantitative terms by 1.5 times, in value terms – by 2.4 times, 1.8 times and 1.1 times, respectively. Among these vehicles, imports in value terms of truck tractors produced in the Netherlands and Germany increased by 3 times, France by 5 times, Brazil by 9 times; truck cranes made in China – 9 times, Germany – 3 times; dump trucks produced in the USA - 4 times, Belarus - 2 times.

In 2017, compared to 2016, the main value volume of imports of goods chemical industry accounted for pharmaceutical products – 27%, plastics and products made from them – 22%. These groups of goods accounted for the main increase in imports in this industry, due to pharmaceutical products - by 1.9 billion US dollars, plastics and products made from them - by 1.2 billion US dollars. At the same time, the value of imports of rubber, rubber and products made from them increased significantly - by 0.8 billion US dollars, as well as organic chemical compounds - by 0.8 billion US dollars.

In the import of pharmaceutical products, the main place is occupied by medicines, which account for 80% of the import of this group of goods. The increase in the value of imports of medicines in 2017 compared to 2016 amounted to more than 1.4 billion US dollars. The reason for this was not a physical increase in the import of these goods, but an increase in prices by an average of 16%. The main countries supplying medicines are Germany - 21%, France - 10%, Italy - 7%, India - 6%, Switzerland - 5%. In 2017, the supply of medicines increased significantly in the UK – by 0.1 billion US dollars.

The main share in the import of rubber, rubber and products made from them is occupied by tires and pneumatic tires - 48%, as well as products, tubes and tapes made of vulcanized rubber (codes 4009, 4010, 4016 HS EAEU) - 28%, natural and synthetic rubber ( codes 4001 and 4002 TN VED EAEU) – 12%. Components for repair and maintenance cars. Natural and synthetic rubber are mainly purchased by companies involved in the production of automobile tires. In 2017, the value growth of imports for these product items amounted to more than 30%. Import purchases were carried out from China - 14%, Japan - 12%, Germany - 10%, South Korea - 7%.

Food products.

The value of food imports in 2017 amounted to 29 billion US dollars and increased by 15% or 3.8 billion US dollars compared to 2016. The largest share in the value of food was fruits - 16%, meat and meat by-products - 9%, dairy products - 9%, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks - 9%, vegetables - 6% and others.

In 2017, supplies of fruits and nuts increased significantly – by 0.8 billion US dollars; alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks – on
US$0.7 billion; dairy products, meat and meat products, vegetables - 0.4 billion US dollars each. At the same time, in terms of physical volumes of these goods, significant growth occurred only in the import of fruits, vegetables, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The increase in value volumes for other categories of food products is mainly due to rising prices for imported products.

The import of fruits in physical terms increased due to an increase in supplies of cherries and grapes from Turkey, in respect of which restrictive measures were lifted in 2017; bananas from Ecuador; citrus fruits from South Africa.

The physical volume of imports of vegetables from China increased by 1.4 times for almost the entire product range, potatoes from Egypt - by 2.5 times, tomatoes from Azerbaijan - by 1.5 times, potatoes from Belarus - by 1.3 times, onions from Turkey - 3500 times.

Imports of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in 2017 amounted to
2.5 billion US dollars and, compared to 2016, increased in value by 39% (by 0.7 billion US dollars), in physical volume (liters) by 29%. At the same time, an increase in the import of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks occurred for all product positions.

The main import volume in 2017 was grape wines – 40%, ethyl alcohol with a concentration of less than 80 vol.% – 38%, malt beer – 8%.

The value of the import of grape wines in 2017 amounted to 1 billion US dollars and increased in value compared to 2016 - by 38%. At the same time, the growth in physical volumes amounted to 11%. Thus, the increase in value is primarily due to an increase in prices for grape wines by 24%.

Grape wines were imported in 2017 from Italy - 29%, France - 18%, Spain - 16%, Georgia - 10%. At the same time, supplies from Italy in physical terms (liters) increased by 34%, France - by 29%, Georgia - 1.8 times. Supplies from Spain decreased in physical terms, but increased in value – by 24%.

Import of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol concentration of less than 80 vol.%
in 2017 amounted to 0.9 billion US dollars, the increase in physical volume (liters) was 30%, in value - 38%. The main volumes of imports of this category of goods came from the UK - 25%, Armenia - 19%, France - 16%, the USA and Ireland - 5% each. In 2017, compared to 2016, the UK increased the supply of whiskey by 31%, Ireland – by 36%, the USA – by 33%, and Armenia increased the import of cognac by 25%. At the same time, the import of French cognac decreased in physical volume by 5%, but increased in value by 32%.

The import of malt beer in 2017 compared to 2016 increased both in physical volume (by 50%) and in value (by 54%). The main beer supplying countries were Germany, the Czech Republic, Belarus and Belgium. Germany occupies a leading position both in terms of beer supply volumes by value (33%) and in terms of physical volumes (29%). At the same time, in 2017, Germany almost doubled its beer supplies. The Czech Republic, Belarus and Belgium also increased the physical volumes of malt beer imports by 1.5 times, 1.5 times and 1.3 times, respectively.

According to customs statistics, foreign trade turnoverof the Russian Federation in 2017 amounted to 584 billion US dollars and increased by 25% compared to 2016, including exports - 357 billion US dollars (an increase of 25%), imports - 227 billion dollars (an increase of 24% ).

Dynamics of the most important indicators of foreign tradeRussian Federation in 2015 – 2017

Main trading partners of the Russian Federationamong non-CIS countries in 2017

Mutual trade of the Russian Federationwith states– members of the EAEU in 2017

(data in the graph is presented for 2017)

EXPORT RUSSIA.

Russia's exports in 2017 amounted to 357 billion US dollars and, compared to 2016, increased by 25% or 71 billion US dollars.

The increase in the value of exports of fuel and energy goods was achieved due to an increase in prices for basic fuel and energy products by an average of 24%.

In 2017, compared to 2016, non-resource non-energy exports increased in value by 22.5% to 133.7 billion US dollars, and in physical volume - by 9.8%.

The main non-resource non-energy exports of Russia have traditionally been:

Metals and products made from them (semi-finished products and flat rolled products from iron and unalloyed steel, unprocessed aluminum);

Machinery, equipment and vehicles (turbojet engines, fuel elements, parts for equipment for nuclear energy);

Chemical products (mineral and organic fertilizers);

Food products and agricultural raw materials (wheat and meslin). The total share of these goods in the value volume of non-resource, non-energy exports of Russia in 2017 amounted to 80.9%.

More than 37% of the value of this category of goods was grain exports.

IMPORT RUSSIA.

In 2017, Russian imports amounted to 227 billion US dollars and compared to 2016 increased by 25% or 45 billion US dollars.

In 2017, the value increase in Russian imports was 53%
due to an increase in the value of imported machinery and equipment, which in absolute terms amounted to 24 billion US dollars.

Among machinery and equipment in 2017, the largest share in the value of Russian imports was: mechanical equipment - 41% (in 2016 - 41%), electrical equipment - 24% (25%) and land transport - 20% (18%) .

Imports of mechanical equipment in 2017 amounted to 45 billion US dollars and increased by 28% or 10 billion US dollars compared to 2016.

The increase in imports of mechanical equipment also occurred due to an increase in the import of bulldozers and graders (2 times in quantitative terms), equipment for processing rubber and plastics, parts of computers, liquid pumps, pneumatic tools, internal combustion engines, industrial machines and equipment, and others.

Imports of liquid pumps in 2017 increased by 410 million US dollars, of which from South Korea - by 160 million US dollars, Germany - by
60 million US dollars and China - 50 million US dollars.

In 2017, Russian imports of electrical equipment amounted to 27 billion US dollars and, compared to 2016, increased by 24% or 5.2 billion US dollars. At the same time, this 32% increase was formed due to an increase in import supplies of telephone sets for cellular communications to
US$1.7 billion. The main countries supplying these devices were China (63%) and Vietnam (17%).

In 2017, compared to 2016, the main value volume of imports of chemical industry goods accounted for pharmaceutical products - 27%, plastics and products made from them - 22%. These groups of goods accounted for the main increase in imports in this industry, due to pharmaceutical products - by 1.9 billion US dollars, plastics and products made from them - by 1.2 billion US dollars. At the same time, the value of imports of rubber, rubber and products made from them increased significantly - by 0.8 billion US dollars, as well as organic chemical compounds - by 0.8 billion US dollars.

The main share in the import of rubber, rubber and products made from them is occupied by tires and pneumatic tires - 48%, as well as products, tubes and tapes made of vulcanized rubber (codes 4009, 4010, 4016 HS EAEU) - 28%, natural and synthetic rubber ( codes 4001 and 4002 TN VED EAEU) – 12%. Components for repair and maintenance of automobiles are mostly declared under codes 4009, 4010 and 4016 of the EAEU HS. Natural and synthetic rubber are mainly purchased by companies involved in the production of automobile tires. In 2017, the value growth of imports for these product items amounted to more than 30%. Import purchases were carried out from China - 14%, Japan - 12%, Germany - 10%, South Korea - 7%.

Food products.

The main import volume in 2017 was grape wines – 40%, ethyl alcohol with a concentration of less than 80 vol.% – 38%, malt beer – 8%.

About the current situation in the economy of the Russian Federation

in January 2019

(in terms of foreign economic activity)

In January 2019, average world prices for key commodities showed multidirectional dynamics - price quotes for oil and nickel increased compared to December 2018, prices for aluminum and copper, on the contrary, decreased compared to last month.

The average oil price in January 2019 was $59.8 per barrel. (average price according to Argus agency), having increased by 4.2% by December 2018. Compared to January 2018, the price decreased by 12.8%. The key reasons for the rise in oil prices were compliance by OPEC+ countries with agreements to reduce production volumes, as well as the difficult geopolitical situation in Venezuela.

The export duty rate on oil, calculated in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated March 29, 2013 No. 276 and the amendments made to it in November 2014, from February 1, 2019 amounted to 80.7 US dollars per ton, decreasing by 9 .3% compared to January 2019 (USD 89.0 per ton).

Aluminum prices decreased in January 2019 compared to December 2018 (according to the London Metal Exchange) by 3.5% to $1,854/t, copper - by 2.2% to $5,939/t. Nickel prices showed a moderate increase compared to the previous month by 6.3% to $11,523 per ton. Compared to January 2018, prices for aluminum decreased by 16.1%, copper by 15.9%, and nickel by 10.4 percent.

The factor that adjusted prices downward in the past period was the overall weak growth rates of both the world economy and China (published Chinese GDP statistics for 2018 show a slowdown in its growth rates). For aluminum additional factor The lifting of American sanctions on the RusAl company, which increased supply on the world market, led to a decrease in prices.

At the same time, nickel prices increased in January under the influence of a decrease in metal inventories, as well as a reduction in production capacity Brazilian company Vale.

Average commodity prices in January 2019

	Price	Rate of increase
	January 2019	to the previous month	to the corresponding month of the previous year
Oil - Urals	59,8 dollars/barrel.	4,2%	-12,8%
Aluminum	1 854 USD/t	-3,5%	-16,1%
Nickel	11 523 USD/t	6,3%	-10,4%
Copper	5 939 USD/t	-2,2%	-15,9%

Sources: London Metal Exchange, Argus Media, World Bank.

Based on the results of January-December 2018 foreign trade turnover amounted to 687.5 billion US dollars, an increase of 17.5% compared to January-December 2017. Exports of goods increased by 25.6% to 449.3 billion US dollars, imports - by 4.7% to 238.2 billion US dollars.

In the geographical structure of Russia’s foreign trade, the European Union occupies a special place (42.8% of Russian trade or $294.2 billion in January-December 2018). Trade turnover with the EU increased by 19.3%, with an increase in exports of 28.3% and imports of 2.7 percent.

The second group in terms of foreign trade turnover in January-December 2018 are the countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (31.0% of Russian foreign trade or 213.2 billion US dollars). Trade turnover with APEC countries increased by 19.8%, including exports by 34.7% and imports by 5.7 percent.

Trade turnover with the CIS countries increased by 10.8% to $80.8 billion, including with the EAEU countries - by 9.0% to $56.1 billion.

The balance of foreign trade between Russia and all countries increased by 62.1% to 211.2 billion US dollars.

The foreign trade imbalance coefficient (ratio of balance to turnover) in January-December 2018 increased to 30.7% compared to 22.3% in January-December 2017.

Based on the results of January-December 2018, a positive balance was observed in Russia’s trade with most of the most important groups of countries. At the level of individual states, significant negative balance Russia had in trade with France (-1.9 billion US dollars), Vietnam (-1.2 billion US dollars), Thailand (-1.1 billion US dollars) and Spain (-1. 0 billion US dollars).

Structure of foreign trade turnover by groups of countries in January-December 2018
(January-December 2017)
(according to customs statistics, percentage)

Export of goods at the end of January-December 2018 amounted to 449.3 billion US dollars and increased by 25.6% compared to January-December 2017.

Raw materials export in January-December 2018 increased by 33.0% to 214.3 billion US dollars compared to 2017, which was due to an increase in both contract prices for hydrocarbons (crude oil - by 34.3%, natural gas - by 22.5%), and physical volumes of supplies (natural gas - by 3.7%, crude oil - by 2.9%). As a result, the value of oil supplies increased by $35.7 billion, natural gas (in gaseous state) by $10.5 billion.

Non-resource exports in January-December 2018 amounted to $235.0 billion, an increase of 19.5% compared to 2017. The largest increase in value volumes was observed in relation to the export of petroleum products - by 19.9 billion US dollars (+34.1%).

Non-resource non-energy exports in January-December 2018 compared to 2017 increased by 11.7% to 149.4 billion US dollars. The largest growth was recorded in semi-finished steel products - by 1.9 billion US dollars, lumber - by 0.6 billion US dollars, cast iron - by 0.5 billion US dollars, refined copper - by 0.48 billion US dollars, wood pulp - by 0.4 billion US dollars, hot-rolled flat steel - by 0.38 billion US dollars.

In January-December 2018, all groups of countries were characterized by positive dynamics of Russian exports. Thus, the volume of supplies to the countries of the European Union increased by 28.3 percent to $204.9 billion, including to Poland (+42.0%), Germany (+32.5%) and the Netherlands (+22 .1%) - as a result of an increase in the value of exports of petroleum products, crude oil, natural gas and coal.

Exports to APEC countries increased in January-December 2018 compared to 2017 by 34.8%, including to China (+44.1%) due to increased supplies of crude oil and refined copper to the Republic of Korea (+ 44.8%) - petroleum products and natural gas, to Japan (+19.5%) - natural gas and crude oil.

The growth rate of Russian exports to the CIS countries at the end of 2018 amounted to 13.5% (up to 54.6 billion US dollars). The largest increase in the volume of Russian supplies is typical for exports to Ukraine (+19.9%) - due to an increase in supplies of petroleum products, coal, fuel elements (fuel
for nuclear power plants), to Belarus (+17.2%) - due to increased exports of crude oil and petroleum products.

Fuel and energy products continue to dominate in the commodity structure of exports, their share in January-December 2018 increased compared to 2017
by 4.5 percentage points to 63.8%. The value of exports of fuel and energy goods increased by 35.2% to $286.7 billion. The positive cost dynamics are due to both an increase in average contract prices (for coal - by 14.5%, crude oil - 34.3%, petroleum products - 32.6%, natural gas in the gaseous state - by 22.5%), and physical volumes of supplies of coal - by 10.0%, natural gas - by 3.7%, crude oil - by 2.9%, petroleum products - by 1.1 percent.

The basis of Russian exports, in addition to fuel and energy goods, are metals and products made from them, chemical products and rubber; these three groups in January-December 2018 accounted for a total of 79.7% of the value of Russian exports. The largest growth (by value) was observed in ammonia (+56.9%), acyclic hydrocarbons (+52.1%), cast iron (+32.2%), semi-finished steel products (+31.9%), mixed fertilizers ( +23.8%), nitrogen fertilizers (+19.2%), refined copper (+13.1%).

The value volume of Russian import at the end of 2018 demonstrated positive dynamics and amounted to $238.2 billion, which is 4.7% higher than in 2017. Most strong growth observed regarding imports individual species mechanical and technical products, in particular, computers and their units, electric telephones, passenger cars and their parts, aircraft, as well as new tires, certain types of fruit.

Imports of consumer goods in January-December 2018 increased compared to 2017 by $2.4 billion (or +3.9%) to $63.8 billion.
Import sanctioned goodsin January-December 2018 compared to the previous year in value terms decreased by 2.5% to $13.7 billion.

At the end of 2018, compared to 2017, Russia’s imports from the EU countries increased by 2.7%, APEC - by 5.7%, and the CIS - by 5.4 percent.

The main item of Russian import remains machines, equipment and vehicles, purchases of which at the end of 2018 compared to 2017 increased by 2.0% to 112.6 billion US dollars, the share of this product group in the structure of domestic imports amounted to 47.3 percent. Including imports of motor vehicle bodies increased by 33.1%, computers and their units - by 16.6%, parts of motor vehicles - by 12.9%, electric telephone and telegraph apparatus - by 12.4%, passenger cars cars - by 8.4 percent.

The basis of Russian imports, in addition to machinery, equipment and vehicles, are chemical products and rubber, food products and agricultural raw materials, the share of these three product groups in January-December 2018 in the structure of Russian purchases amounted to 78.0 percent.

In value terms, imports of food products increased by 2.4%, chemical products - by 8.1%, including aluminum oxide and hydroxide - by 44.0%, polyethers and resins - by 23.4%, apples and pears - by 20.6%, serums and vaccines - by 10.6%, new tires - by 10.6 percent.

Far abroad countriesare Russia's main trading partners. At the end of 2018, their share in trade turnover was 88.2%, in exports - 87.8%, in imports - 89.0 percent.

Russia's foreign trade turnover with non-CIS countries in January-December 2018 amounted to 606.6 billion US dollars and increased relative to 2017
by 18.4 percent. Exports increased by 27.5% to $394.7 billion, imports by 4.6% to $211.9 billion.

The leading positions among the EU member countries are occupied by Germany, the Netherlands (largely due to large volumes of re-export of Russian hydrocarbons) and Italy, which account for 45.5% of foreign trade turnover with this group of countries.

The most important foreign trade partners among APEC countries are China, the USA, Japan and the Republic of Korea, which at the end of 2018 accounted for 84.1% of foreign trade turnover with this group of countries.

At the end of 2018, China is Russia’s largest foreign trade partner (15.7% of Russia’s trade turnover or $108.3 billion). Russian exports to China amounted to $56.1 billion, an increase of 44.1% by 2017.

The share of Russia's other largest partners in 2018 was 8.7% for Germany, 6.9% for the Netherlands, 3.9% for Italy, 3.7% for Turkey.

Foreign trade turnover of Russia with CIS countries at the end of 2018, it increased by 10.7% to $80.8 billion. Russia's exports to the CIS countries increased by 13.5% to $54.6 billion, and Russia's imports from the CIS countries increased by 5.3% to $26.2 billion. In 2018, there was a trade surplus with all CIS countries.

Sanctioned goods- goods prohibited for import into the territory of the Russian Federation from the USA, EU, Canada, Australia, Norway, Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro, Iceland and Liechtenstein in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 08/07/2014 No. 778.

There is no country that uses exclusively its own goods and does not buy anything abroad; Russia is no exception. What Russia imports is of interest to many compatriots, especially in light of the latest law adopted by the State Duma on restricting the import of certain goods.

After a difficult economic year in 2016, 2018 shows a trend towards improvement in all markets. Imports are resuming, the ruble is strengthening, this indicates that domestic companies have begun to operate in new realities. The increase in Russian import volumes in 2018 was felt not only by consumers, but also by industry.

The main growth occurred in some types of mechanical engineering, laboratory equipment, aircraft, parts of motor vehicles, and pharmaceuticals. The percentage of investment goods has also increased. The share of food products decreased, although only slightly.

Structure of Russian imports in 2017 by food products:

Medicines that are prepared for retail sales– growth by 24%, in monetary equivalent 744 million dollars.
Butter and dairy pastes – 153 million dollars. or 2 times compared to the previous period.
Leather shoes – growth by 32%, $150 million.
Insecticides, herbicides – increase in volumes by 23% or $114 million.

Food

Russians are accustomed to foreign food products, so it is not surprising that they are not ready to give up some of them. But still, some products may become unavailable on the shelves of domestic stores. What food products does Russia import?

Among the main ones:

Fruits, nuts.
Meat and meat by-products.
Dairy products.
and soft drinks.
Vegetables.
Maslenitsa seeds and fruits.
Fish and crustaceans.
Various food products.

Cereals

Oddly enough, we don’t have enough grain of our own, so we import it from Kazakhstan. About 50% of all foreign grain is imported from this country. Although grain has to be imported, more than 90% of the granaries have their own. In addition, there is a tendency to increase the volume of supplies abroad.

Meat

There is meat imported into Russia; most of all, high-quality beef is purchased. The fact is that since Soviet times, the emphasis of the domestic agricultural complex has been on dairy cattle breeds, and the situation is the same now.

Information! On at the moment In the country, only 10% of the cattle population are meat breeds, and meat production is not a separate industry.

In the structure of meat imports, beef accounts for about 40%. Pork is not far behind, its share is 30%. The main suppliers of this import product to Russia: Canada, USA, Belarus. It is believed that domestic market is open to foreign supplies of meat, which is why there is so much imported meat.

It is also worth mentioning chicken, there is also a shortage of it, but the share in the structure is much lower - about 10%. Most of this volume is purchased in Belarus in chilled form. Frozen chicken, which was previously purchased in the USA, Canada, and Brazil, is now imported significantly less and the downward trend has been maintained for several years now.

Fish, seafood

Imports to the Russian Federation in 2018 also affected seafood. Although Russia occupies a leading position in catching fish and seafood, certain items still have to be imported. Most of them are imported from Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Estonia. Imported fish that can be found in stores:

Salmon.
Herring.
Trout.
Sprat.
Salaka.
Sea bass.

In the structure, these positions occupy about 20%.

Dairy products

Perhaps the most difficult situation precisely for this position. There are not enough domestic dairy products, so quite a lot of them are imported. Most of all from Belarus, Finland, Germany, New Zealand. The share of dairy products in the structure of Russian imports ranges from 30 to 60%, depending on the type of product.

Vegetables, fruits

Although the areas for growing vegetables and fruits are huge, it is impossible to do without foreign supplies. Surprisingly, even potatoes and apples are purchased. The latter occupy more than 75% of the import structure. Approximately a third of the product range of fruits is from abroad; as for vegetables, this is 20-40%.

Food imports to Russia in 2017 are quite large and our own products are absolutely not enough for the needs of citizens. In certain groups, for example, vegetables can be provided to the population in short terms, but with meat things are more complicated.

Palm oil

This raw material is in great demand today; of course, it is not produced in Russia, so it needs to be imported. Palm oil imports to Russia increased sharply in 2018, not least due to import substitution. Purchases are made in:

Indonesia – 77%.
Malaysia – 9%.
Netherlands – 6%.
Other countries – 8%.

Fact! The import volumes of palm oil are quite large, second only to citrus fruits. So, according to statistics, for every person in the country, including a baby, there is 6 kg of palm oil per year. This demonstrates which products predominate in Russian imports.

Equipment

If there are no problems regarding the import of goods and products, and if it is limited, nothing terrible will happen, but with regard to industrial equipment, problems may arise. Many high-tech machines are imported into the country, which help maintain the state of various industries in the high level development.

Import of industrial equipment includes the following items:

Metal cutting machines. There were especially many imports of them in the early 2000s, but even today the trend does not change. Very few such machines are produced in the country, but the demand for them is high and almost 100% of it is covered by imports.
Wood and plastic processing machines. Their imports are somewhat smaller, but still the majority are imported into the country from other countries.
Electrical equipment.
Means of ground transport.
Optical instruments and materials.
Industrial machines.
Other highly specialized units.

Construction materials

IN recent years import building materials decreased due to forced import substitution. Everything is logical, because Russia has quite a lot of resources for the production of its own building materials, in particular bricks and building mixtures. Import of building materials looks like this:

Brick.
Cement.
Double-glazed windows.
Silicate wall blocks.
Cement blocks.
Construction mixtures.
Reinforced concrete structures.
Construction equipment. At the moment, it is not possible to replace this position with domestic analogues.

High-tech goods

High-tech goods are also purchased, so what are they importing to Russia in this area? The largest volume of purchases is in electronics and telecommunications equipment. In second position are computer and office equipment, followed by scientific instruments. The last two positions are products for the aerospace industry and pharmaceuticals.

Chemical industry products

The chemical industry market is filled with goods from the following countries:

Germany.
France.
China.
Italy.

Imports to the Russian Federation in 2017 mainly consisted of fertilizers. In addition to them, rubber, rubber products, plastics, and inorganic chemical products are imported.

Leather raw materials, furs

This product can be imported, but not into large volumes, this is due to the general decrease in the number of cattle. That is, states are in no hurry to send such raw materials to other countries, because they themselves may be left without it. Mostly raw leather and furs are imported to Russia in 2017 and previous years from China. Significantly less hassle from Italy, France, Turkey and other countries.

Wood and pulp and paper products

The import structure includes:

Wood fiber boards.
Joinery.
Plywood.
Sheets for cladding.
Cellulose.
Paper.

Large importers:

China.
Germany.
Finland.

Textiles, shoes

Imports of textiles and footwear occupy a significant share of imports. Most imported:

Knitted fabrics.
Knitwear products.
Shoes.
Finished textile products.
Chemical fibers and threads.

The lion's share of these items is imported from China, and several times less from Turkey, Italy and Belarus.

List of imported goods

The list of goods imported to Russia consists of many items. They are presented below:

Machinery and equipment.
Passenger cars.
Medicines.
Ferrous metals with the exception of cast iron, ferroalloys, waste, scrap.
Trucks.
Fresh and frozen meat, excluding poultry.
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Clothes and leather shoes.
Furniture.
Steel pipes.
Citrus.
Raw sugar.
Coal.
Crude oil.
Cocoa-containing products.
Plant protection chemicals.
Diesel fuel.
Cotton fiber.
Butter.
Coffee.
Petrol.
Natural and synthetic rubber.
Russian imports also include natural gas.
Corn.
Sunflower oil.
Fuel oil.
Cocoa beans.
Cigarettes and cigars.
Canned food and other meat products.
Cotton fabrics.
Wheat, meslin.
Condensed milk and cream.
Electricity.
Barley.
White sugar.
Aluminum ores and concentrates.

Purchase volumes vary slightly from year to year, and in light of the latest laws, consumers will face new changes in imports to Russia by product. Domestic producers are entering the market, but prices for their products are rising by 5-25%.

Importing countries

Goods are imported from different countries and in various volumes. Thus, the following items are brought from the CIS:

Food – 23%.
Machinery, equipment, vehicles – 22-23%.
Metals, products made from them – 12-16%.
Chemical industry products, rubber – 13-14%.
Mineral products – 10-11%.
Textiles, products made from it, including imports of clothing to Russia, shoes – 7%.
Other goods – 6-8%.

As for partner countries from far abroad, the main importers are:

China – import volumes 20 million dollars.
Germany – 11 million dollars.
USA – 6 million dollars.
Italy – 4 million dollars.
Japan – 3.5 million dollars.
Republic of Korea – 3.5 million dollars.
Netherlands – 1.8 million dollars.
Türkiye – 1.4 million dollars.

Conclusion

Russia's imports are dominated by industrial equipment, which is not manufactured in the country at the proper level. At the same time, they actively import into the country even what is available in sufficient quantities or is possible to obtain. For example, gas, vegetables, meat, textiles. No country, including Russia, can yet do without imported goods.