The right of the ear: will rye baking disappear in Russia
Russia may lose rye baking. Industry experts point to this trend. The whole point is to reduce rye production: over the past 35 years, it has decreased by 15 times. The main reasons lie in the falling demand for rye and the low cost of grain. This situation naturally affects bread production. Whether there are enough products to saturate the market is in the Izvestia article.
Unprofitable culture
Rye production has decreased by 15 times over the past 35 years. This was stated by Igor Sviridenko, President of the Union of Flour Millers of the Russian Federation, at the international conference "Modern Bakery – 2025". The rye harvest in 2025 is projected at 1.1 million tons. For comparison, in 1990, the country harvested 16.4 million tons.
However, there is no question of a possible shortage of rye bread, Sviridenko emphasizes. At the moment, the demand for rye products is falling, and therefore the supply is decreasing.
— Now the product is simply not in demand. Therefore, flour mills and bakers are working to ensure the demand that exists," explains the interlocutor of Izvestia.
The amount of rye currently grown and processed in Russia is, in principle, sufficient to saturate the market, agrees Dmitry Semenov, president of the Russian Bakers' Union.
In addition, the low price of rye has had an impact on production volumes in recent years, says Stanislav Sankeev, Executive Director of the People's Farmer Association. In some years, it was 3-5 rubles per kilogram, as a result of which farmers who sold rye to flour mills simply stopped sowing this grain in large quantities.
— This is an economically unprofitable culture. We use it in a certain crop rotation. For example, when new plots are introduced, rye is used as a natural herbicide. It has a high vegetative mass, it grows and crushes weeds. But at the same time, we understand that this grain is very cheap," the expert clarifies.
The main problem is that rye is unprofitable both for farmers due to low profitability and for trade: rye bread is less marginal, confirms Dmitry Vostrikov, executive director of the Rusprodsoyuz association.
— 35 years ago, the need for rye cultivation was shaped by the alcohol industry. Today, the main industrial demand is created by the food industry, and the main consumer is now bakery enterprises that focus on the needs of the end customer," he believes.
However, there is no threat that there will be no rye flour at all, Sankeev does not observe. Some farmers will still sow this grain in certain volumes.
— If rye costs 15-16 rubles, as it does this year, a little more farmers will sow it. But in this case, the price will quickly fall to 3 rubles again," the Izvestia interlocutor expects.
Unconditional benefit
Production is also declining because consumer tastes and preferences are changing. People began to eat less rye bread, which, according to Dmitry Semenov, is not a very good trend.
— Rye bread is an extremely healthy and delicious product. Russia has preserved a good, still Soviet school of rye baking technology. This bread is in our traditions, and for us it is a time—tested classic in a good way. But a decrease in consumption may eventually lead to these technologies being lost," the expert says.
Indeed, during the Soviet period, bread made from a mixture of rye and wheat flour became widespread, recalls Marina Kostyuchenko, director of the FSUE Research Institute of the Bakery Industry. And before the revolution, the bakery segment was represented mainly by rye flour bread.
In modern Russia, the consumption of rye bread is decreasing every year, and this is a serious problem, because with this product a person receives a wide range of essential substances: a significant amount of protein, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, as well as carbohydrates, clarifies the interlocutor of Izvestia.
— Not everyone knows that rye bread contains more dietary fiber than vegetables and fruits, and more iron than beef, eggs and apples. This bread is rich in selenium, as well as organic acids, which have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, - says Marina Kostyuchenko.
In this regard, a program is needed aimed at popularizing bread in general and rye in particular, she is convinced.
— The implementation of such programs in other countries has led to a decrease in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. A significant amount of dietary fiber, low calorie content, and the presence of complex carbohydrates, which are rich in rye bread, contribute to the prevention of heart disease, the expert explains.
Dmitry Semenov agrees that it is possible and necessary to stimulate production growth by popularizing this product.
— My colleagues and I at the Russian Bakers' Union plan to work out, possibly together with the Ministry of Health, Rospotrebnadzor and the expert community, measures to promote rye bread, because we don't want to lose it and the traditions and technologies associated with it. They are, in fact, unique," emphasizes the President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
Regional specifics
It is important to understand that bread as a whole is a product of inelastic demand (a situation where a change in the price of a product leads to a disproportionately small change in demand) from an economic point of view, Igor Sviridenko clarifies.
— Lower prices for black caviar will lead to the fact that it will be "swept away" from the shelves. And reducing the price of bread will not lead to anything, no one will buy it in increased volumes," the expert draws attention to.
At the same time, there are certain regional differences in the consumption of different types of bread, Marina Kostyuchenko points out.
— In the North-Western region (St. Petersburg, Kirov region, Karelia), rye bread is traditionally loved. The southern and central parts of Russia consume more wheat bread," explains the interlocutor of Izvestia.
Igor Sviridenko agrees that in the southern regions of the country, which are traditionally the breadbasket of Russia, residents have never actively eaten black bread.
— In Soviet times, when there was a planned economy, they tried to give a state task on production. But all this was doomed to failure, because no one needed it. Rye production in the Kuban was only in resort towns, where miners or shift workers who were accustomed to black bread came. And the local population did not eat it," emphasizes the head of the Union of Millers.
A similar situation is observed in the central part of Russia. In particular, today in Moscow, not a single industrial enterprise produces rye bread completely, Marina Kostyuchenko notes. There are small bakeries where it is baked, but the mass production positions have been lost.
It should also be borne in mind that there is now a turn to the East, in connection with which the craving for rye bread is decreasing, adds Sviridenko. And all rye and rye products are consumed in the West — in Scandinavia and the Baltic States, Poland, the Czech Republic and Belarus.
— But now we are looking to the East, and they don't even eat wheat bread there, preferring products made from rice flour. And today, attention is being paid specifically to eastern and southern cultures," says the expert.
At the same time, the average retail prices for rye flour bread today are at 99.1 rubles per kilogram, Dmitry Vostrikov draws attention. This is 12.1% higher than in January and 14.3% more than a year earlier.
— Most likely, in the future rye bread will become a niche product, the price of which will be higher than wheat bread. The cost will balance demand, and production will meet the needs of rye bread lovers," predicts the representative of Rusprodsoyuz.
The editorial board of Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia. No response has been received at the time of publication.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
