Comparative analysis of the prerequisites and priorities of import substitution at various stages of development of the Russian economy

Import substitution is an integral part of the strategy to improve the competitiveness of the national agri-food complex. It should be a stimulus that will accelerate the economy and will contribute to the formation of a self-replicating mechanism of economic growth. The study analyzed the development of import substitution during the introduction of economic sanctions by Western countries and the United States. The study showed that the need for import substitution was brewing for a long time, however, the sanctions served as the impetus for its acceleration. The introduction by the President of the Russian Federation of special economic measures did not contradict the existing legislation and was aimed at restricting the importation of many types of products from abroad for the development of domestic production. The commodity structure of domestic exports and imports was also analyzed: the export of hydrocarbons has been prevailing for many years, but over the past two years their share in the total export structure has decreased. Most of the country imports machinery, equipment, vehicles, food and agricultural products, chemical products. For most indicators, there is a negative trend, due to which domestic imports decreased over the period of the sanctions by more than 100 billion US dollars. Despite economic sanctions, the European Union remains the main trading partner of Russia. Over the past 25 years, Russia has been a passive participant in international trade and, despite its high potential in the development of agriculture, was perceived by the world community as a country focused on the export of raw materials and hydrocarbons to a foreign market, rather than on the development of its own production, including agricultural production.