"The non-energy sector is of great importance in the lives of the regions: for some, it is the basis of the economy, for others - a source of employment. It is gratifying that the number of companies involved in export activities is growing (28% year-on-year growth). This reflects the high interest of non-commodity businesses in all regions in the export agenda. This is the basis for the future development of non-energy exports," Nikishina said during her speech at the session "The New Strength of the Regions".
She noted that while the agro-industrial complex (AIC) is a bright driver of non-energy exports at the national level, the situation may be very different at the regional level.
For example, the Nizhny Novgorod and Novosibirsk regions, Tatarstan and Chuvashia, as well as the Krasnodar Territory, are among the regions where the export of machine-building products became the driver in the first half of 2023, with a share in non-energy exports of 30-40%. By the way, this industry significantly declined in 2022.
According to REC studies, the maximum increase in non-energy exports for the specified period was shown by Chukotka, Magadan, Irkutsk, Amur, as well as Novosibirsk regions and the Altai Territory. New territories were also included in the cluster. The scale of growth varies from hundreds of millions of dollars for leaders to the first millions of dollars for, for example, Sevastopol. One of the main drivers of growth was the AIC, but for Novosibirsk, Bryansk, Altai Territory, growth was recorded in mechanical engineering.
In addition, in the Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Ivanovo, Moscow, Chelyabinsk regions, Udmurtia and Moscow, the volumes of the AIC are growing. In the Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk regions, Tatarstan and the Krasnodar Territory - mechanical engineering. Also, the growth of exports of forestry products is recorded in the Samara region, the chemical industry - in the Novosibirsk region, and metallurgy - in St. Petersburg.
According to the CEO of REC, there are three areas that require special attention from regional export support systems. "The first is systematic assistance to novice exporters in various aspects, including finding potential buyers and organizing meetings with them. The second is attention to the export of industries that are showing positive dynamics. The third is support for traditional industries of export specialization in reorienting flows to new sales markets," Nikishina summarized.