Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should enter foreign markets more actively. According to Alexander Kalinin, president of the all-Russian public organization of small and medium enterprises "Opora Rossii", this will enrich the Russian entrepreneurial culture and become a way to hedge risks.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum today, Kalinin said that "the history of Russian exports is being created before our eyes."

"The SME Corporation has just presented a new strategy. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov urged business not just to be feedback, but to be active participants in the process," he said.

In this regard, Kalinin reminded that the Russian economy is 2% of the world economy, so business development without access to new platforms is very limited. "That is, 98% of the world's money doesn't rotate in the Russian market, but in other markets. It's a question of the capitalization of your business - are you operating in the local market or in the global market. I know successful small companies which, thanks to exports, have become very serious players. Take, for example, Dodo Pizza from Syktyvkar: it could have stayed there, but it has become a global player. Or MYTONA, a games company from Yakutsk: they now sell their games in Singapore to the Asia-Pacific Partnership. They've reached completely different volumes. Think about it!" - he appealed to SMEs.

He said exporting would allow companies to learn the best business practices. "You bring them here, enrich the country and enrich our entrepreneurial culture with international experience. In addition, business becomes sustainable. If the ruble has fallen against the dollar and you have part of your contracts in foreign currency, you diversify those businesses and naturally hedge the risks," Kalinin is confident.

"I encourage small businesses to strive to export goods and services abroad. It's important for you, it's important for the collectives and it's important for our country!" - he concluded.

Made in Russia // Made in Russia

Author: Maria Buzanakova