Marketplaces of agricultural goods: modern development and future prospects in Russia

The article aims to examine the current state and future prospects of specialized agricultural marketplaces in Russia. An analysis of existing agricultural marketplaces in Russia reveals the presence of systemically important, federally-scaled electronic trading platforms, such as those managed by AO Rosselkhozbank within its “ Svoe” ecosystem. These platforms are developed with state regulation and support. Agricultural goods are also traded on general-purpose and small specialized marketplaces. Further analysis of the dynamics of agricultural value-added and its share of total gross value-added indicates a decline in the relative importance of agriculture in the Russian economy. Concurrently, there has been a significant decrease in the number of participants in agricultural activities, coupled with increasing profits and profitability for those remaining. This trend suggests a decrease in the overall productivity of agricultural enterprises and an increase in the cost of their goods. To mitigate the adverse effects on agricultural producers, the implementation of effective distribution channels, including modern marketplaces, is crucial. An examination of international experiences reveals the presence of approximately 2–3 specialized nationallevel marketplaces in agriculturally focused countries. Considering the current state of agriculture in Russia, the author concludes that the existing number of federally scaled marketplaces is adequate. However, the utilization rate of these marketplaces by both sellers and buyers of agricultural goods is low, with only approximately 8% of agricultural sellers using these platforms. Further development of a broader and more relevant range of marketplace services for agricultural entrepreneurs is necessary. This requires both synthesizing and implementing successful international practices within the Russian marketplace service sector. The study also concludes that developing marketplaces for international trade in agricultural goods, leveraging the existing electronic resources of Russian commodity exchanges, is feasible and holds significant untapped potential.