Named obstacles to import substitution in the industry

05.10.2021       

The final September bulletin of market surveys by the Gaidar Institute (IEP) contains the results of the ninth sociological study of the question of what prevents industrial companies from refusing to purchase imported equipment and raw materials in favor of their Russian counterparts. This question was first asked to businesses in January 2015 — at the very beginning of the import substitution campaign that started after the exchange of sanctions and the sharp devaluation of the ruble in December 2014. "Such monitoring allows you to look at the successes and problems of import substitution from the point of view of domestic producers, who, it would seem, should be its supporters" raquo;,— Sergey Tsukhlo, the author of the study, explains.

(this is exactly how this answer option sounds in the institute's questionnaire). In 2021, 81% of — this is the maximum in the history of the study. “Such an increase in mentions of this factor is most likely due to the fact that as the restrictions imposed by both our “Western partners” and the Russian authorities expand, as wear and tear of equipment grows and in the face of viral logistical problems, Russian manufacturers do not detect in the domestic markets available to them for the necessary equipment, components, raw materials & raquo;,— explains Mr. Tsukhlo.

The factor of low quality of domestic equipment and raw materials is also firmly fixed in the second place among the obstacles limiting the process. In 2021, more than 50% of surveyed Russian enterprises indicated it, which was also the highest indicator in the history of these surveys. “And the logic is the same here. The forced and increasingly active search for domestic analogues leads Russian enterprises to the second disappointing conclusion: what is available on domestic markets is inferior in quality to imports, — explain in the IEP.

All other obstacles to import substitution, including still affordable prices for imported components and raw materials,