Problems and prospects of import substitution in the milk market in Russia

The relevance of the problem under study is related to the fact that milk production, as one of the main livestock products and an important product for adequate human nutrition, is associated with ensuring food security of the country. Compared with the Soviet period, milk volumes both in general and per capita have decreased significantly. Despite the growth of milk yield per cow, milk production and consumption have noticeably decreased compared to 1990, although in recent years it has been increasing, as well as decreasing import dependence on milk supplies, and exports have increased (but mainly to the CIS countries). One of the important areas of state policy should be targeted support for livestock farming, aimed at increasing the livestock population and improving the efficiency of dairy farms. Russia should reduce the share of imports and increase exports of milk and dairy products, including exports should be directed to profitable destinations - to foreign countries. The purpose of the study is to identify current problems of milk production development and import substitution in Russia and to develop proposals for solving these problems. The article uses general scientific and special scientific research methods, including economic and statistical analysis, synthesis, and comparison. The value and novelty of the article is that it examines and identifies key problems in the development of the dairy industry in the country, as well as problems in the development of import substitution in this area. Directions for their solution are also proposed.