Bread and bakery products have always been of great importance to the Russians. Many Slavic tribes had a custom: it was believed that people who shared a piece of bread became friends. Till the present day, a distinctive feature of the Russian bread market is that this product is in incredible demand, it is an inevitable part of almost every consumer's life. The Russian market of bread and bakery products is divided into two main segments: long-term storage products (bakery products with low humidity, semi-finished products); shortterm storage products (leading varieties of wheat, rye, rye-wheat bread, pies, etc.) [1; 2].
The recent years' trend is an increase in the production of long-shelf-life products and products with low humidity, including crackers, bread rings (baranki) and others. Since most bakery products have a short shelf life, almost the entire market volume is represented by products of domestic manufacturers. The share of imported products is only about 2.5%. The leading suppliers of bread to Russia are Poland, Belarus and Germany (over 60%). The main destination for Russian export of bread and bakery products is Kazakhstan. The second place is taken by Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, the third - by China and Azerbaijan (see Fig.).
For the period from January 1 to April 30, 2020 (inclusive), the Russian government introduces quotas for the export of grain to states that are not members of the Eurasian Economic Union. The quota covered wheat, lemon balm, rye, barley, corn, excluding cereal seeds, and amounted to 7 million tons [3; 4]. This export quota is aimed at the country's food security and keeps prices for basic grains down, which should lead to a decrease in the cost and consumer prices for the final products of the grain and bakery industry. The largest producers of bread and bakery products today are: Fazer LLC, KDV Yashkino LLC, Khlebprom OJSC, Karavay OJSC, Perviy Khlebokombinat JSC, Kolomensky BKK, Limak, Penzensky kombinat khleboproduktov OJSC, Kombinat khleboproduktov Starooskolskiy CJSC, Cyrial Partners Rus LLC, Chipita St. Petersburg LLC, Darnitsa SC, KBK Cheryomushki, Fili-Baker LLC, etc. Production capacities are concentrated at large enterprises as well as at a great number of small companies. The share of large and medium-sized bakeries on the market is about 72%, small bakeries - 28%. The bakery industry is one of the most balanced in the economy, but the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection has caused making some adjustments to the functioning of the Russian bread and bakery market.