Miller Magazine Issue: 136 April 2021

91 MILLER / aprıl 2021 INTERVIEW exports disappear, there will be measures to stimulate the production of flour and higher value-added products. I would advise Turkish millers to carefully study the pos- sibilities of being present inside Russia, so as not to lose their business at one point. Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said Russia would be ready to stop interfering in the reg- ulation of grain exports when the market stabilizes. When do you think Russia will lift the wheat export tax? Do you think the floating tax mechanism will be lifted soon? And how will Mr. Patrushev’s statement influence Russian farmers’ decisions? I think the Minister's words were not interpreted accu- rately enough. There was no talk about any quick abo- lition of the floating duty. We are talking about the con- ditions for its cancellation in the future. This requires a significant reduction in domestic grain pric- es. A similar situation is possible only when the grain of the new harvest is under pres- sure on the supply. Therefore, before the second quarter of the new marketing year, there are no prerequisites for abolishing the floating duty at all. We have to work hard to achieve the zeroing of the duty by the end of 2021. I believe that a reload of the state inter- vention fund would seriously help our goal. We came out with such a proposal to the President of the Russian Federation at a meeting on agriculture back in May 2020, with an eye to domestic millers and other consumers. We believe that without solving the problems of the local market, it is not serious to talk about sustainable lead- ership in the world market. According to our estimates, Russia needs an intervention fund of about 3-4 million tons of grain. Unfortunately, our colleagues from indus- try unions of processors missed out on this initiative. We see the benefits of the intervention fund for the market so we will more strongly seek a positive decision. The outbreak of the coronavirus has caused one of the most significant macroeconomic shocks of the early 21st century. How COVID-19 pandemic has af- fected the global grain trade? We are seeing increased activity from our tradition- al buyers. Many of them form additional reserves for a more painless passage of possible local crisis situa- tions. In terms of logistics, fortunately, we did not notice any major disruptions in the supply chain in Russia. We promptly resolved issues of internal auto and rail logis- tics. As for maritime transport, during the quarantine period, the ships defended in the roadstead. Now this restriction has been lifted, the loading of ships is carried out in a mode close to regular. I know this is not the case in some countries, but Russia has managed to avoid se- rious consequences. As for business life, it has practical- ly returned to normal. Offices and restaurants are open; business events are being held. We have certainly ac- quired something new, unleashed the potential of doing business online. I am confident that humanity will learn the lessons and draw the right conclusions from the pandemic. Personally, I have already done this - I spend more time with my family, I do sports, I have transferred a significant number of business negotiations and speech- es online. By the way, quarantine contributed to the dis- closure of my culinary talents. I find it fascinating to cook my favorite dishes and select wine for them, the offer of which from Russian producers has grown significantly.