Production, export and import of salt in Russia

2023

The share of imported salt in the Russian market increased by 2.5% to 33.6%

About 33.6% of salt sold in Russia in 2023 fell on imported products, while in 2022 this share was measured at 31.1%. This is evidenced by the data of the Rusprodsoyuz association, published on February 1, 2024.

By the end of 2023, such countries as, Kazakhstan,, and supplied salt to the Russian Federation Turkey Belarus. Azerbaijan At the Iran same time, the main suppliers for various types of salt are Belarus and Kazakhstan.

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Rusprodsoyuz experts linked the increase in the share of imported salt to Russia with the difficulties that arise with the supply of wagons for shipping Russian products and retail policy.

The delivery period for empty cars from the moment of delay to factories increased from 3-5 days to 15-17 days, which in some periods of 2023 caused a decrease in the volume of shipment of finished products by almost 2 times, - explained Dmitry Leonov, deputy chairman of the board of Rusprodsoyuz.

There are also preferences for retail chains. Retail puts on the shelves exactly foreign salt or products of companies-repackagers of imported products, instead of salt of domestic mining enterprises, noted in the association. At the same time, the capacities of salt producers in Russia are sufficient both to meet the needs within the country and for export, added to Rusprodsoyuz.

In the situation, the strongest competition between domestic and foreign players, the industry union calls on trading operators to pay attention to Russian products, the association said.

In this regard, by the beginning of February 2024, Rusprodsoyuz is preparing proposals for quotas for domestic salt in retail in the bill "on the Russian shelf."

According to the Kontur. Market business automation services system, in July 2023, salt in Russia rose in price by 64% compared to a year ago, and this growth was one of the highest among all products in the country^[1]

Increase in salt production by 10.5% to 848.6 thousand tons

According to the results of 2023, the production of edible salt in the Russian Federation reached 848.6 thousand tons, which is 10.5% more than a year ago at 768 thousand tons. The Rusprodsoyuz association cited such data in January 2024.

According to Interfax, citing materials from the association, a significant increase in salt production made it possible not only to cover demand in Russia, but also to increase supplies to friendly countries, including China and Mongolia.

The production of edible salt in the Russian Federation in 2023 reached 848.6 thousand tons

As noted by Dmitry Leonov, deputy chairman of the board of the Rusprodsoyuz association, due to high competition, prices for salt in Russia in 2023 have practically not changed.

To maintain market share, manufacturers were forced to keep sales prices at the expense of their own margins. As a result, the average price increase was much lower than inflation and the growth of producer costs, "Leonov added.

According to him, the increase in the production of edible salt led to increased competition in the market. By the end of 2023, food salt producers (Russol, Tyretsol, Caustic, Varnitsa, Kireevsky Salt Production and PC Galit) worked in Russia, which are ready to increase production by another 43%. In addition to them, salt suppliers from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belarus are active in the Russian market, said the deputy chairman of the board of the Rusprodsoyuz association.

The total production of Russian food ground salt is formed mainly due to products produced by enterprises of the Volga, Siberian and Southern federal districts.^[2]

2017: Russian salt production up 40%

Domestic manufacturers have significantly increased capacity compared to the same period last year According to PJSC "Salt of Russia," for the period from January to May 2017, one can note an increase in shipments of table salt produced by Russian salt miners compared to the same period last year (January-May 2016) by 40% from 1100 thousand tons to 1552 thousand tons. The growth in volumes by 452 thousand tons partially includes the released segment of supplies of Ukrainian salt of the Artemsol enterprise in the amount of 80 thousand tons.

According to the results of the January-May 2017 period, domestic salinists increased their production:

• Russol - by 227 thousand tons.
• Uralkali - by 191 thousand tons
• Tyretsky solerudnik - by 20 thousand tons

"These figures confirm the fact that Russia is slowly but surely coming out on its own in the salt industry. So far, we cannot get away from imports in just one segment - salt of the Extra variety, the need for which is in the region of 570 thousand tons per year, "said Stanislav Cherkasov, President of Salt Rus PJSC

According to the expert, at the end of 2016, Russia imported 466 thousand tons of Extra salt and produced only 98 thousand tons on its own. Most of the salt (350 thousand tons) was imported from Belarus, the rest - in small batches from different countries, including Azerbaijan, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ukraine, etc.

"Based on the data obtained, there is a clear need to establish its own production of Extra salt. Only then will we be able to say that we fully cover the country's food security standards, which were fulfilled in the salt segment last year by only 75%. The development of the Belbazhskoye field alone, which is located in the central part of Russia (Nizhny Novgorod region), will be enough to 100% replace the import of Extra salt. According to the project that our company is implementing, a salt processing plant with a capacity of 600 thousand tons will be built at the Belbazhskoye field, "Stanislav Cherkasov stated

Among other things, the Belbazhskoye field has a significant advantage. It is located in Central Russia, where Belarusian salt now dominates.

that salt production in Russia is mainly concentrated in Siberia and the Urals, so it is cheaper for consumers to import it from Belarus, since logistics costs play a significant role in the cost of the final product. Thus, the economic advantages of the early development of the Belbazhskoye field are obvious, "Cherkasov said

See also

• Production of food equipment (Russian market)

Notes