THE CURRENT STATE OF AGRICULTURAL CONSUMER COOPERATION IN RUSSIA

Agricultural consumer cooperatives are one of the most important tools for the development of domestic agriculture, as they play an important role in the food supply system of population, at the same time being as a guarantor of rural areas preservation. It has become common practice in Russia and its regions, that key actors in agricultural consumer cooperatives are peasant (farmer) households, individual entrepreneurs and household farms, i.e. small agribusinesses. Small enterprises, along with large agricultural holdings, take part in ensuring food security of the country; however, due to their size and production volumes, the share of large farms in this aspect seems to be more significant. The relevance and importance of the cooperative sector in modern Russia is also explained by the significant support provided to agricultural consumer cooperatives by government authorities. Despite long-term experience of consumer cooperatives in the country, the percentage of small agricultural business entities involved in the cooperative sector remains insignificant. Volga Federal District is the first region with the highest number of agricultural consumer cooperatives and the highest value of shipped products, while within the district, Ulyanovsk region and the Republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan hold the lead, as evidenced by indicators for 2020-2024. A favorable attitude from government authorities toward the further development of consumer cooperatives, significant amounts of state support from federal and regional budgets and active outreach to expand the cooperative movement in rural areas and recruit new members are aimed at further strengthening the cooperative sector in the regions and country as a whole.