MOLINE, Ill. - John Deere is expanding tractor production in Russia, and the company's Waterloo operations will benefit, at least in a secondary fashion.

On the eve of the Russia-USA Business Forum in Moscow, Deere & Co. announced Monday it is prepared to expand its farm, forestry, and construction operations significantly in Russia.

"Among the products we have planned, Deere plans to assemble 8,000 and 9,000 tractors in Russia," Deere spokesman Ken Golden said. "These are in addition to what we are building in Waterloo. Waterloo will be a supplier of parts and components to Russia."

He declined to go into specifics.

"We have not announced definitive plans in Russia but rather general concepts," he said. "We are not going to publicly discuss specific plans at this point. The same components that go into Waterloo tractors would be needed in Russia."

The Russia-USA Business Forum is being held in conjunction with the summit meetings between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama. Samuel R. Allen, president and chief operating officer of Deere, is representing Deere at the forum.

"We share the vision that Russia can make a significant and sustainable contribution to help meet the world's growing demand for food, energy and forest products," Allen said in a news release. "Under the right market access conditions, John Deere anticipates significant investments in Russia. John Deere is working to expand its Russian manufacturing of agricultural equipment by early next year."

The company already markets a wide range of advanced technology products to the agricultural, forestry and construction sectors. Allen said farmers globally need advanced technology to enhance productivity, improve profitability and contribute more to meeting the growing global demand for food and agricultural products.

In Russia, Deere has developed an extensive dealer network for its agricultural and forestry products. The company has a manufacturing operation in Orenburg that provides seeding and tillage equipment to the Russian market and exports to other locations. In addition, John Deere is developing an operations, training and parts center near Kaluga.