Russia boosts margarine exports 36% in 2022 - Agroexport

MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) - Russia exported 390,000 tonnes of margarine in 2022 (data on deliveries to the EAEU are for January-November), up 36% from 2021, the Agriculture Ministry's Agroexport center said, citing preliminary data from the Federal Customs Service.

Deliveries increased by 69% in value terms.

Traditionally, the principal buyers of Russian margarine are the Central Asian states. Uzbekistan, which increased its imports by 65% (to 104,000 tonnes) and by 87% in value terms, remained the leader. Kazakhstan, as a year before, came in second, boosting volumes purchased by 20%, to 66,000 tonnes (up 77% in value terms). Turkmenistan was third with exports rising by 45% to 34,000 tonnes (an increase of 72% in value terms).

The top five buyers also included Afghanistan (32,000 tonnes, up 6.7-fold) and Tajikistan (31,000 tonnes, up 13%). For the first time, Russian margarine was shipped to Jordan, Lebanon, Somalia, Djibouti, Palestine and Iraq.

Efko group, which supplies specialized fats and margarines to almost 20 countries, increased exports of margarine products by 11% in volume terms and by 40% in value terms in 2022, Agroexport said. In particular, deliveries to Uzbekistan increased by 65%, shipments to Kazakhstan were up 31%, to Azerbaijan - by 20%, to Tajikistan - by 13%, Eduard Tsuverkalov, head of exports at Efko, was cited in the statement.

"Since 2016, Russia has been increasing exports of margarine products by an average of 15% per year, and, according to our forecasts, this trend will continue in the coming year," Mikhail Maltsev, executive director of the Russian Oil and Fat Union, was also quoted as saying in the statement.

Margarine consumption in the world has been steadily increasing in recent years, helped by population growth in Asia and Africa, which are particular for their consumption of large amounts of bakery and confectionery products made with margarine, Maltsev said. "In European countries and the United States, the growth in demand for margarine is related to current trends, namely the rejection of animal fats in favor of vegetable fats, and generally with the growing interest of consumers in plant-based foods. For many consumers, high-quality margarine has become an excellent substitute for excessively expensive butter and simply an indispensable source of fat for people with lactose intolerance," Maltsev also said.

According to the report, the global margarine market was estimated at $19.6 billion in 2020, and due to the development of the food industry in the coming years is expected to grow steadily. The volume of global imports of margarine in 2021 exceeded $7.1 billion, an increase of 33%.

According to ITC Trade Map, the leading buyers were China with a share of 14%, France (5.5%) and Germany (4.8%). The largest suppliers of margarine to the world market in 2021 were Indonesia with a share of almost 20%, the Netherlands (9.6%) and Belgium (9.1%). Russia was seventh in the ranking of world margarine exporters in 2021 with a share of 5%.