Rosselkhoznadzor does not plan to lift restrictions on Turkish products import - Izvestiya

UFA, 23 March 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Ksenia Kalinina/. Rosselkhoznadzor (Federal Agency for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance) does not plan to lift restrictions on the import of Turkish tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, pears, turkey, chicken and other products. This is reported by the «Izvestiya» newspaper with reference to the statement of the supervisory agency.

A source in Rosselkhoznadzor claims that it was planned to send a delegation to Turkey in April to assess the quality of products and decide on lifting the embargo. The press-secretary of the agency Julia Melano has not confirmed this information. The source suggests that the visit was canceled on the background of information on suspension licenses for duty-free import of Russian wheat, corn, sunflower oil and butter by Turkey from March 15.

Import of Turkish tomatoes and other vegetables and fruit to Russia was banned since January 1, 2016 due to the aggravation of political relations. During this time, as follows from the report of the President of the National Fruit and Vegetable Union, domestic production of tomatoes increased by 33 percent - to 297,000 tons per year, and the share of imports decreased by 30 percent, to 468,000 tons. Before the embargo, Turkey imported about half of all imported tomatoes to Russia: 43 percent in 2014 and 50 percent in 2015. Last year they were replaced by domestic, as well as from Azerbaijan, Morocco, China and other countries.

The Russian Government issued a decree to lift the ban on the import of Turkish citrus and stone fruit on October 9 last year. In early March 2017, the ban on the supply of onions, salt, broccoli, and cauliflower from Turkey was lifted. The restrictions were abolished after the summer assignment of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Government of the Russian Federation to restore cooperation with Turkey.