MOSCOW: Russia will be more cautious in its food exports this year, particularly to nations that pursue a hostile stance against Russia, according to President Vladimir Putin.

"This year, in the face of a global food scarcity, we will have to be more cautious in our food supplies abroad, especially, to closely monitor the parameters of such exports to countries that are openly unfriendly to us," Putin said at a meeting to promote the country's agricultural sector on Tuesday.

Putin said the "higher production quantities make it feasible to ensure food prices in Russia are lower than on the foreign market." Russia's economic edge is food self-sufficiency, and the government must safeguard its citizens from price changes in the global food market, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said  the country's food output "completely" met domestic demands and pushed officials to increase import substitution. "We must set clear import substitution targets and pursue them relentlessly in the very near future," he said, citing to the country's "potential" in agriculture, manufacturing, and science.

Russia exports the most wheat in the world. Russia exported 49 million tonnes of grain, including 38.4 million tonnes of wheat, during the previous agricultural year, which concluded on June 30, 2021, as per reports.

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