Konstantin Babkin, President of the Rosspetsmash association and co-owner of Rostselmash, in an interview with Kommersant, spoke about the situation in the industry and compared the Rostov enterprise with world leaders Claas and John Deere, and also recalled how in the late 1990s the plant almost went to the Americans.

According to Babkin, in 1998 there were plans according to which Rostselmash was almost transferred to John Deere. The Americans intended to organize an assembly production of their equipment at the Rostov enterprise. The plant was then in a difficult situation, and such a deal could radically change the history of Russian agricultural machinery manufacturing.

Comparing Rostselmash with world giants, Babkin noted that John Deere's annual revenue is about 50 billion dollars, which is almost 100 times more than the total turnover of the 13 plants of the Rostselmash Group. At the same time, the Russian manufacturer continues to compete with Western companies in foreign markets. In 2022, Rostselmash lost access to European markets – out of 14 countries where equipment was supplied. For example, in Poland the plant occupied 20 percent of the market, in Romania – 25 percent.

Babkin emphasized that although John Deere and Claas left Russia, closing their assembly shops, indirect competition remains – at the level of investment in development and in the perception of buyers, who still compare equipment from different manufacturers.