Artem Belov: In the next 30-40 years, Africa will be one of the centers of increasing demand and consumption of dairy products

‘At the same time, you need to understand that different products are in demand in different markets. If we are talking about Africa, these are primarily functional products that are aimed at ensuring a balanced diet for a large number of poor people,’ he said.

Thus, Africa is one of the drivers of the production of such a product as fat-filled milk powder (FFMP) - a combined product that contains animal proteins and vegetable fats. There is no such product on the Russian market, FFMP is an independent product that has been developing at a high pace for the last 7-10 years and is aimed at poor countries seeking to improve the quality of their consumption, including at the expense of animal proteins, but at the same time having no opportunities for this in terms of price. FFMP, in fact, is a substitute for whole milk powder, but it can cost several times cheaper. Potentially, Russia can also enter the African market with such a product.

‘Therefore, there are definitely prospects for exporting dairy products from Russia to Africa. In addition to Africa, six countries that are members of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf will show high rates of demand growth. They are also interesting because they are export gates to the markets of African countries: the standards that are adopted in these countries are accepted by a large number of African countries,’ concluded Artem Belov.