Russia not plans to open its market to Turkish tomatoes
By Kamila Aliyeva
Russian authorities are not going to allow the supply of tomatoes from Turkey, said Russian Agricultural Minister Alexander Tkachev , adding that it is necessary to support domestic producers.
"The government's position is that we are not going to open the tomato market, we will support first of all the domestic producers," Tkachev said in an interview with Rossiya 24 television channel, Ria Novosti reported.
Earlier, Russia and Turkey expressed their desire to lift most mutual restrictions regarding agricultural product deliveries as soon as possible at the meeting held in Moscow.
Turkey from March 15 suspended the issuance of licenses for duty-free supplies of wheat, corn and sunflower meal from Russia. Earlier, Turkish importers and processors could carry out duty-free import of Russian products to Turkey on the basis of issued licenses for import of agricultural products in the "internal processing" mode.
Currently, a 130-percent duty is in effect on such Russian exports as wheat and corn, rice – 45 percent, sunflower oil – 36 percent, sunflower meal - 13.5 percent, and more than 9.5 percent - for legumes.
Meanwhile, Russia's food embargo on Turkey's food and agricultural products remains partly in place.
In early 2016, Russia imposed a number of restrictive measures, including a ban on food and flowers imports, on Turkey in response to the downing of a Russian military aircraft by a Turkish fighter jet in Syria on November 24, 2015.
The Moscow-Ankara relations began to improve after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized over the jet incident. Russia lifted the flight ban, but the food ban has remained.
In October 2016, the Russian government decided to allow on its market a number of Turkish agricultural products, including citrus. The embargo was lifted in respect of fresh and dried oranges and tangerines, fresh apricots, peaches and nectarines, plums and thorns, which make up much of Turkey's fruit exports to Russia.
The country announced that it will keep the ban on Turkish frozen meat and poultry as well as tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, apples, pears, strawberries and other fruit and vegetables.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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