Author Archives: CrispConsulting

Russian import decreases, including from non-boycotted countries

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The imported volume of food in Russia has gone down, also from countries that aren’t boycotted, RBC News reports. According to statistics from the Centre of International Trade (CIT), the import decreased from 7 billion dollars to 3.2 billion dollars between January and April of this year.

This decrease applies to all trade partners. In addition to decreases in product groups like meat and dairy, import of fruit and vegetables from Jordan went down by 83.7%. According to the analysts, the cause is the weaker rouble, with a second possible cause being the decreasing demand for imported products in Russia.

Incidentally, there are also countries that actually saw their export increase. In the various sectors, Turkey, Pakistan and Colombia have risen to the top of most important trade partners.

www.freshplaza.com

Belarus reduced the supply of agricultural products to Russia

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According to statistics over the first three months of this year, the export from Belarus to Russia decreased by 26.7 percent. The export amounted to 890 million dollars.

On the one hand, the decrease is caused by lower prices. First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Leonid Marinich said that the price for beef fell by 28.6%, for meat products – by 50.2%, milk powder – by 47.8%, whole milk – by 47.4%, butter – by 37.9%.

On the other hand, Belarus says it’s focusing on diversification of the export, wanting to export to Europe, the Middle East and Asia as well in addition to Russia. Belarus is trying to develop trade relations with China. Belarus also expects a big increase of the export of its agricultural products to the US market. It is planned that by the end of this year the volume of deliveries will increase from $ 2.5 million up to $100 million.

On the Russian side, they say they have plans to increase the import from Belarus.

www.freshplaza.com, www.retail.ru

Seafood from Cuba may be imported to Russia in the nearest future

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Rosselkhoznadzor, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, announced June 10 that it was negotiating with Havana the possibility of buying Cuban seafood. Not only that, the agency, an adjunct to the Ministry of Agriculture, stated that it would contact members of the EurAsian Economic Community (EAEC) and extend the offer to them. In addition to Russia, the EAEC’s member states are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

www.progresoweekly.us

Russia embargoes meat from 10 Brazilian factories

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The Russian veterinary service Rosselkhoznadzor will embargo meat imports from ten branches of Brazilian companies starting June 9th, including the following slaughterhouses of cattle and pigs: JBS, Marfrig and BRF, the Russian government’s agency said.

The veterinary service said the decision was taken after an inspection of Brazilian branches took place in March by Russian inspectors, according to Interfax news agency.

Russia was Brazil’s second largest beef importer in 2014 and the largest buyer of Brazilian pork. The largest companies that have suffered restrictions are able to redirect exports to authorized branches, according to the association of exporters. The violations that were found showed a significant degree of risk, Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement.

The causes of embargoes were not fully detailed by the Russian agency, which has already taken similar measures in the past, when branches were temporarily suspended. Besides the embargo, a ban to two factories that had been authorized was maintained. The Russian service sent the Brazilian authorities a report on the results of inspections and has set a two month deadline for comments.

Brazil, which has been the largest global exporter of beef in recent years, still has 28 beef factories authorized by Russia, according to the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporters (Abiec).

www1.folha.uol.com.br

 

 

Russian Ministry of Agriculture proposed lifting ban on the import of oysters and mussels

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Russian Ministry of Agriculture proposes to lift ban on the import of oysters, mussels and young fish of rainbow trout. It was a reaction to requests from fish farms, depending on the import of growing material.

The document was sent for approval to the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, Federal Customs Service, Rosselkhoznadzor and the Eurasian Economic Commission. It is planned that the government will discuss it in the second half of June.

www.meduza.io

 

Russia to ban import of Estonian, Latvian fish products

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Officials from Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) met veterinary officials from the Baltic states last Friday and told them “imports of fish products from Latvia and Estonia to Russia will be halted shortly,” the agency said in a statement on its website.

Russia said it would send statements of alleged violations it discovered to Latvia and Estonia’s veterinarian services over the next week. Russia has already introduced sweeping bans of meat and produce from the European Union in retaliation against its imposition of sanctions on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.

Rosselkhoznadzor spokesperson Yulia Trofimova clarified that tinned and preserved fish was not included in the list of products affected by the trade restrictions imposed by Russia on several Western markets until August 2015.

www.fis.com, www.au.news.yahoo.com

EU set to roll over sanctions on Russia, officials say

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The European Union is, in the coming weeks, looking to roll over its broad economic and targeted sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis until late January, according to a number of senior officials and diplomats.

The continuation of the sanctions is part of an effort to maximize the bloc’s leverage in pushing the Kremlin to fully implement its side of the Minsk cease-fire agreement, the officials say.

In 2014, the European Union introduced sanctions against Russia because of the situation with Ukraine and limited its cooperation with Moscow. In late July, shortly after the disaster near Donetsk, when Malaysian Airlines Boeing was shot, EU sanctions were imposed on the largest state banks – Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank, Vneshekonombank, Rosselkhozbank, so that they would have a limited access to the European capital market. There was a ban on investment in infrastructure, transport, telecommunications and energy sectors, as well as oil, gas and minerals. For these sectors it is prohibited to provide financial and insurance services. The supply of weapons, machinery, electronics and other dual-use goods, as well as high-tech equipment for oil extraction was also limited. Sanctions were also imposed on the Russian National Commercial Bank, concern Almaz-Antey, Dobrolet Airlines.

In September, the European Union introduced a second package of the sanctions. They extended the restrictions on the access to the market of EU funding for three key energy companies – Rosneft, Transneft, Gazprom Neft and three defense companies – Oboronprom, United Aircraft (OAK), Uralvagonzavod.

Preparation of documents for the extension of the sanctions is not yet complete, some issues have not even been discussed formally, say officials interviewed by WSJ. However, there is a growing confidence that the EU retain the unity, if the Minsk agreements are not be fully implemented, including the withdrawal of Russian troops and weapons from the territory of Ukraine, and regaining control over Russian Kiev-Ukrainian abroad.

In recent days, the leaders of the Russian government said that if the sanctions are prolonged or if new sanctions are introduced, Russia will take a firm stand. May 27, at the International Legal Forum in St. Petersburg, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow’s decision on the food ban would be equal to the decision of the US and EU on the sanctions. If sanctions are extended, there is no reason to cancel the food ban, said Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. In August 2014, as a response to US and EU sanctions, Russia banned the import of a number of products from those conutries. Medvedev said that if the EU took new sanctions against Russia, Moscow would respond the same way.

www.wsj.com, www.vedomosti.ru

Possible end of food ban for Moldova and some other countries

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The Russian phytosanitary service is reconsidering the boycott of Moldovan cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots. The reports were confirmed by the National Agency for Food Safety in Moldova. The export could be resumed when Russian inspections have visited the Eastern European country.

Together with Belarusian colleagues, the Russian phytosanitary service is visiting companies in Lithuania. The inspections are necessary to be allowed to export to Russia. The companies involved work with animal products. For now, the boycott applies to Lithuania as it also applies to the EU. Last month, Russia inspected various companies in Hungary, Greece and Cyprus. During the inspections, it’s checked whether the conditions of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian criteria are adhered to.

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Remarkable development of Egyptian exports to Russia

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Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, reported that the country’s agricultural exports have seen a remarkable development, especially potatoes, which registered a 144.8% increase, frozen vegetables, up 900%, machinery and appliances, up 681.3% and processed vegetables and fruit, with an 823.1% growth.

He pointed out in a press statement that this is mostly the result of the efforts made by the Ministry in helping Egyptian companies to access the Russian market, as well as to the promotional campaigns carried out by the Egyptian Commercial Office in Moscow for many Egyptian products, which facilitated the opening of communication channels with major Russian importers.

These campaigns resulted in the provision of more than 70 export opportunities, contributing to the shipment of new and non-traditional products (not only food products) to the Russian market.

www.freshplaza.com

Russian PM Medvedev: Decision on boycott to be taken in August

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The Russian Prime Minister said again to the Russian news agency TASS that the decision on the boycott will not be taken before August. In August it will certainly be either extended, modified or lifted. “We’ll make this decision based on our national interests,” said Medvedev. “We were forced to adopt these measures due to the actions of neighbouring countries and trading partners, so it also depends on the decisions they make.” According to the Prime Minister, the measures have been positive for Russia to develop its domestic potential.

www.freshplaza.com