Russia's dairy product exports saw a significant increase of nearly a third towards the end of last year, as reported by Dmitry Patrushev, the head of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture. The country now exports dairy to 73 countries, including recent additions Afghanistan, Hong Kong, and Pakistan. To stimulate exports, a support measure compensating dairy farmers for milk transportation costs has been introduced. Patrushev highlighted the need for maintaining quality and continuous supply to attract more foreign partners. Meanwhile, domestic consumption of dairy products also rose by five percent.