Identification of capacity building strategies for export of Iranian agricultural products to Russian market

The agricultural industry is one of the most important sectors of the economy of any country, and Iran, due to its large area of cultivated areas, weather conditions, variety and reasonable prices of crops are eligible for exporting crops. In this study, Russia is considered as the target market for export of Iranian agricultural products due to the climate, sanctions imposed on it and its location close to Iran. The lack of coordination between the organizations, the businessmen's difficulties in establishing links with Russian markets, the inadequate production conditions and the failure to comply with packaging standards have caused Iran to fail to export agricultural products to Russia. In this paper, in order to identify the export capacity of Iranian agricultural products to the Russian market, first a conceptual framework was developed using library information, then some questions were designed and interviewed with a number of managers and experts. The questionnaire tool was designed based on the theoretical framework and research hypotheses, in collaboration with professors and the results obtained from interviews with experts and other experts. After assuring the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, research findings were ranked using TOPSIS statistical methods. According to the research, the first prerequisite for increasing exports of agricultural products is the right classification and making the right decisions for each commodity category, for example, for high-end consumer goods that have easier shelf life and easier packaging, monetary and banking issues, price and Quality is one of the most influential factors. Transport, packaging, and sorting infrastructure are influential factors in the fast-growing product group, such as vegetables and bunches of fruits. Factors such as health standards, branding and marketing are effective in canned, fishery and dairy products. Finally, suggestions were made for improving and expanding agricultural exports to Russia based on the results of the research.