Russia extends Turkish food boycott

In a move that has no doubt shocked many Turkish producers, Russia has elected to extend its ban on Turkish food imports.

This comes after Ankara was considering implementing a potential increase on import duties for Russian grain imports. 

Russia claims it had been removed from a Turkish list of favourable grain exporters which enjoy import tariffs between 0-3%. Reports also suggest the tariff rise could have been as high as 130%. Russia’s government claimed this would put Russian producers at a significant disadvantage.

Turkey denies the allegation. Russia, however, has chosen to extend its embargo on Turkish food and drink products. 

A Russian spokesmen said: ”The complete or partial lifting on Turkish fruit and vegetable for the Russian market can only can only be possible if Turkish counter-sanctions are lifted.” Currently Turkey is banned from exporting tomatoes, grapes, cucumbers, apples, and pears, amongst others, to Russia.

This is sad news, as signs of full reconciliation had been getting clearer throughout 2016. Russian orders of key import products, such as citrus fruits, rose considerably after WorldFood Moscow, for example. Russia had even removed bans on several product categories towards the end of last year. Now, it appears diplomatic tussles are acting as further roadblocks to complete normalisation of relations. 

However, for other exporting nations, this latest ban extension could prompt further export opportunities. Countries such as Egypt, Israel and Iran, with strong or rapidly expanding agricultural sectors, are in a position to expand their Russia fruit and vegetable exports.

Source: Freshplaza.com

Image: © Farhad Sadykov via Flickr

 

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