Speaking at the agronomical All-Russian meeting, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Alexander Tkachev, said that Russia topped the world list of the largest producers of sugar beet, ahead of countries such as France, the United States and Germany. According to the minister, in 2016 the summer harvest of sugar beet amounted to more than 50 million tons. This should be enough to produce 6 million tons of sugar in order to fully cover the domestic needs of the market and increase exports. Thus, according to the forecasts of the agricultural department, in 2017 Russia can sell over 200 thousand tons of sugar abroad, which is 25 times more than it was sold last year.
Alexander Tkachev called on the branch of the association and all market participants to stimulate cooperation with the near and far abroad. The Ministry of Agriculture will also focus more on opening up traditional markets in Central Asian countries. However, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture noted that the country is still heavily dependent on foreign seeds and imports 70% of the necessary sugar beet planting material. 
