Sanctions to Blame for Pushing EU Producers From Russian Market: Agriculture Watchdog

2014/10/30

MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – A reorientation toward other markets because of Western sanctions will result in the redistribution of foreign producer's shares in the Russian market, the head of the country's agriculture watchdog said Thursday.


"Reorientation on other markets will result in redistribution of the Russian market, many will not come back to the market, and this is up to our colleagues who introduced sanctions against us," Sergei Dankvert, the head of Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Rosselkhoznadzor, said at a press conference held at the press center of news agency Rossiya Segodnya, adding that India, for instance, was never seen as dairy products supplier for Russia.


Last month an agreement that may pave the way for the deliveries of dairy and meat products from India to Russia was reached. The move comes as Russia is searching for suppliers to substitute products that were earlier prohibited from the Russian market due to an import ban imposed by Moscow in response to Western sanctions.


"Looking at the current situation, we have always been ready for it. The markets have always been opened, so the ongoing reorientation is not that great," Dankvert said.


Among the products targeted by the import ban are meat, fish, dairy, fruit and vegetables. According to Dankvert, the major problem Russia currently has is "in the dairy industry, with cheese." The watchdog head pointed out that the production of cheese has never been particularly successful in Russia.


"Since 2002, the import of cheese increased from 80,000 tons to 450,000 tons nowadays," Dankvert said, adding that in the context of the current import restrictions, supplies of cheese from Turkey, India, Argentina and Uruguay have increased.


"Our work has become more intensive, we have met with about 30 countries, received numerous delegations," Dankvert said.



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