Tkachev: Root strengthening - blow to the Russian economy

Further strengthening the ruble to the dollar will be a blow to the domestic economy and will negatively affect the export potential of Russia. As TASS reports , the head of the Ministry of Agriculture Alexander Tkachev stated this.

"The fact that the ruble has strengthened and strengthened today is, of course, a serious minus for our export positions and not only for agriculture - both for industry and for many other sectors of the economy," Tkachev said. "The dollar - 57 (rubles. - Ed.) - this is not a disaster, but it is a blow to our domestic economy," he added.

According to the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, the internal prices for grain fall, and this is due to both the strengthening of the ruble and the excess of grain in the domestic market. “Of course, we received a large loaf - a lot of grain. Naturally, we counted on serious export,” Tkachev noted.

Since the beginning of 2017, the dollar to the ruble has decreased by more than 6.5 percent. On Thursday, during trading on the Moscow Exchange, the cost of the dollar ranges in the region of 57 rubles.

In 2016, Russia has harvested a record grain crop - 119.1 million tons, which is 14 percent more than in 2015. The final figures for the grain crop will be presented in March 2017.