(MENAFN) Russia and Nigeria have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on seed production and crop breeding, officials confirmed Wednesday at the 27th Golden Autumn Agro-Industrial Exhibition in Moscow.

The agreement was signed at the West African collective stand, which included representatives from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo. Vyacheslav Lukomets, director of Russia’s P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Center, and Ayodeji Oludare Sotinrin, director general of Nigeria’s Bank of Agriculture, signed on behalf of their countries.

“Science lies at the core of all development processes,” Lukomets said, stressing that the partnership was initiated by business leaders who recognized that cooperation would be ineffective without scientific involvement. Sotinrin described Russia as “one of the world leaders in seed production” and expressed Nigeria’s aim to become an equal partner through a knowledge-sharing alliance.

Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Andrey Razin reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to supporting food security and sustainable agriculture in Africa. “We are ready to work with the African continent — supplying our products and importing goods such as coffee, tea, flowers, fruits, and more,” Razin said.

The exhibition, organized by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, runs from October 8–11. The new partnership expands Russia’s broader engagement with Africa, which combines commercial exports and food aid. In July, Burkina Faso received over 700 tons of yellow split peas from Russia as humanitarian assistance.

Russian agricultural exports to Africa exceeded $7 billion in 2024, up 19% from the previous year, reaching 45 countries, with Egypt remaining the largest importer of Russian wheat.

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