On February 3 this year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan held a Polymer Day. It was devoted to the problems of import substitution of polymer products in the cable industry. This event was attended by representatives of more than 40 major manufacturers of polymers, compounds and their customers, cable enterprises in Russia. By tradition, the Polymer Day was passed in the communication platform format involving presentations, discussions, and open dialogue. Participants noted that the share of localisation in the cable industry remains high, and has good expansion prospects for import substitution: the Russian cable industry consumes annually about 260,000 tonnes of polymers and compounds, including 45,500 tonnes of imported polymers.
Problematic issues are the shortage of basic polymers, the reduction of export duties for raw materials, which are further used by processors for the production of import-substituting products, and the lack of up-to-date equipment of Russian origin required by polymer processors.