The Russian economy today is not going through the most stable times. To a large extent this is due to the great dependence of certain sectors of the national economy on foreign suppliers. In this regard, import substitution is becoming especially relevant in the economic development of the country. What is this process? For which sectors of the Russian economy is it especially necessary?
Definition
Import substitution is, according to a common interpretation, a process at the level of the national economy, in which the production of goods necessary for the domestic consumer is ensured by manufacturers operating in the country. This process can be proactive or reactive in nature. In the first case, import substitution goods are produced in order to prevent competing foreign suppliers from entering the market. In the second, foreigners are forced out of their respective segments.
In turn, both options for import substitution can be carried out on the basis of predominantly market mechanisms or through administrative intervention of various political structures. In the first case, successful import substitution is a fair result of competition. In this way, a domestic producer proves to his buyer that he produces goods better and cheaper than a foreign supplier. However, a variant is possible in which this process will be carried out by virtue of administrative prohibitions on conducting activities imposed on foreigners.
Russian scenario
The economic situation in Russia today is such that in our country, import substitution is necessary, as many analysts believe, in several key sectors at once. At the same time, in some segments the corresponding process can proceed under more or less market conditions, in others, Russian manufacturers will have advantages due to the administrative factor. Thus, import substitution in Russia is likely to occur in both scenarios, depending on the particular industry.
Agriculture
The food embargo against Western European suppliers of agricultural products is an active incentive for the development of domestic businesses in the relevant field. Russian farmers received an unprecedented chance to carry out large-scale import substitution. The list of goods covered by the import ban is very wide. This is dairy products, and vegetables, and fruits, and meat, and nuts. The market capacity of some segments of the trade turnover between Russia and Western countries in the agricultural sector is estimated by experts at billions of dollars.
Of course, there will be competition in this area: in particular, deliveries of products from countries of Asia, South America, Africa, as well as from the countries of the Customs Union can be carried out to Russia freely - there are no sanctions regarding the relevant activities. But, despite the availability of alternative agricultural suppliers to European suppliers, import substitution for agriculture in Russia is one of the highest priority areas for economic development in the near future. The main question, experts believe, is how effective the interaction of farmers and retail outlets will be in practice.
Industry
Regarding this sphere, the need for alternative products of foreign suppliers from Russian consumers arose mainly due to the depreciation of the ruble. Imported goods have become more expensive. In many segments of industry, this also predetermined an increase in prices for manufactured products within the country. By importing, say, machine tools or some electronic components, the Russian manufacturer faced significantly increased costs, which in many cases could be compensated in one way - by raising prices for domestic consumers.
At the same time, import substitution in industry, if we talk about the Russian scenario, can be far from just a forced character. The fall of the ruble played, according to many experts, to a certain extent a positive role for the economy. The fact is that due to the depreciation of the Russian national currency, many production costs, as well as wages in dollar terms, as well as, incidentally, in relation to most other major world currencies, decreased very significantly. As a result, it has become profitable to invest in Russian industry.
If you look at the reports of the Ministry of Finance for 2014 regarding trends in the economy, you can see that industrial production in the Russian Federation has grown significantly - by about 1.4%. While GDP, according to preliminary estimates, in 2014 grew by about 0.6%. Also, some experts note: even in a number of segments that are completely uncharacteristic, it would seem, for our national production, import substitution is taking place. The list of goods that are actively produced in Russia is formed, in particular, by household appliances, electronics, while most ordinary people are accustomed to being manufactured in Asia. Although there is a version that such figures are caused by a situational surge in demand for a particular product. And so you need to wait to make sure that this trend is fundamental.
Import substitution in the Russian industry, therefore, is expressed in two aspects. Firstly, it is the desire of consumers to have access to cheaper products. Secondly, it is the attractiveness of the Russian economy in terms of production costs.
Industry: Dependent Areas
In what areas of industry of the Russian Federation is the question of the need for import substitution most acute? Among the sectors most dependent on external supplies is machine tool construction. According to some analysts, the share of imports is about 90%. In heavy engineering, not much less - about 80%. The dependence on imports is also strong in light industry - the figures in some of its segments also reach 90%. In pharmaceuticals, in the food industry, dependence is comparable.
Regarding production, experts believe, we need a large-scale import substitution program, largely supported by the state. Work in this direction as a whole is underway. If it is successfully implemented by the competent departments, then in the coming years it is quite possible, according to some analysts, to reduce the dependence indicators of each industry by about 30%, or maybe even more.
IT industry
The Russian IT industry is one of the fastest growing in the economy. It can also be noted that many IT products from the Russian Federation are well known abroad. And therefore, our IT school is quite competitive. At the same time, as some analysts have calculated, the dependence of the Russian sphere of information technology on Western solutions is very significant. About 70% of the software used by users, both private and corporate, is supplied by foreign developers. And this despite the fact that in very many software segments there is a Russian alternative, which, as many experts believe, is in no way inferior to foreign models in terms of functionality and quality.
One of the key arguments in favor of using domestic IT solutions, analysts call the need to ensure the security of software in most business segments. The work of many enterprises is associated with the transfer of classified data. Many of the leaders of Russian companies tend to have doubts about the use of foreign software in such cases. Also, the work of many companies is associated with the need to maintain exclusively uninterrupted operation of server systems, which can sometimes be ensured only by suppliers located directly in the Russian Federation.
The corresponding import substitution program in Russia, experts believe, has all the resources for successful implementation. Even in such technologically complex segments of the IT industry as the development of operating systems, programmers from the Russian Federation have something to offer as an alternative to Western suppliers.
Thus, import substitution is a process that can concern any industry. We have identified several key ones. The economic situation in Russia requires speedy import substitution in many segments of the national economy, however, putting it into practice is not always easy. Why? Consider the main nuances associated with the realities of the relevant work.
Problems
Import substitution is a multifactorial, difficult process in terms of practical implementation. Its successful implementation depends on solving a number of problematic nuances characteristic of the Russian economy. Which, for example?
First of all, this is very limited, according to many experts, the access of Russian businesses to loans. The fact is that the sanctions imposed by the EU and the United States on many companies from the Russian Federation do not allow loans abroad, which in many respects came from the past. In turn, loans within Russia are now not very profitable: the Central Bank's refinancing rate is now 15%, and the company will most likely be able to get a loan at interest rates that will be no less than this value. To develop production with profitability, which will allow closing credit payments on such conditions, will be problematic.
What could be a possible solution to the problem of accessibility of loans? Some experts believe that many Russian businesses could get used to the project finance market or, for example, in the field of venture investments, thereby gaining access to loans on a more profitable basis or to capital on the basis of concessions on shares in the company.
This prospect, of course, will not suit all businesses, but it is probably better than waiting for some news from the Central Bank. There are options with government subsidies for some projects. Also, many businesses can develop areas related to the production of new goods under contracts under public procurement.
Another problem that accompanies import substitution in Russia is the lack of qualified personnel in a number of industries. In 1990, many citizens of the Russian Federation, choosing a profession, focused on the humanitarian industry, on services. Engineering, working specialties were not too popular. As a result, there is a shortage of personnel in many segments.
There are several ways to solve this problem. The most affordable is retraining. Fortunately, in the Russian educational institutions as a whole, a well-developed scientific and production base has been preserved, which can be used to train specialists of various industries. Another option is to attract people from abroad, which, however, can be complicated due to the low ruble exchange rate: far from all cases in Russia it will be more profitable for a person to work. At the same time, the Russian government is taking significant steps to facilitate immigration to the country. In particular, a program of obtaining simplified citizenship is open for people who have significant ties with Russia - family, language, cultural.
International dimension
Another possible barrier to successful import substitution is the obligations of the Russian Federation as part of the WTO membership. The fact is that due to the signing of international treaties with other states of this structure, Russia does not have too many options for interfering in the economic processes of government structures, which can be involved, for example, in order to protect the national market in the aspect of trade with the participation of foreign suppliers.
Therefore, the government of the Russian Federation does not have many options in order to gain more authority. There is absolutely radical - to leave the WTO. At the same time, as some experts note, the states, within the framework of the current norms prescribed in the WTO agreements, are endowed with a significant amount of tools to protect the interests of the domestic producer. The question is to correctly use this resource. For example, in 2015, Russia, as some analysts note, may take advantage of the right to adjust tariff obligations so as to effectively protect a number of segments of the domestic market and not violate current WTO rules.
Success factors
The import substitution policy in Russia, despite the difficulties noted, has excellent chances of success. This is due to a large number of factors. Firstly, in most cases, Russian enterprises have no problems with access to the necessary raw materials and natural resources. Secondly, production costs at the start of production in the Russian Federation will in many cases be lower than abroad, in fact, due to the relative cheapness of some natural resources. Also in Russia, quite cheap electricity. We have already said about the salary benefits that have arisen in connection with the depreciation of the ruble. Thirdly, Russia has a tangible technological potential. So far, it is being implemented in practice in a small number of industries - mainly in the military-industrial complex, in space exploration. However, if necessary, according to many analysts, it is always possible to transfer these or those military developments to the civilian industry.
