Russia "more prudent" in food supply to "hostile" countries: Putin

MOSCOW, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Russia will be more prudent this year in exporting food, especially to countries that are pursuing a hostile policy towards Russia, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

"This year, against the backdrop of a global food shortage, we will have to be more prudent in our food supplies abroad, namely, to carefully monitor the parameters of such exports to countries that are clearly hostile towards us," Putin said at a meeting to support the country's agricultural sector.

At the same time, he said that "increased production volumes make it possible to ensure food prices in Russia are lower than on the world market."

Food self-sufficiency is Russia's competitive advantage and the country must protect its people from price fluctuations in the global food market, Putin said.

Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter. During the last agricultural year that ended on June 30, 2021, Russia exported 49 million tons of grain, including 38.4 million tons of wheat, Interfax news agency reported.