Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, at a meeting in Moscow in July 2013.
REUTERS / Maxim Shemetov
The Venezuelan government plans to boost exports of raw materials and agricultural products and to Russia, taking advantage of the current tariffs in force and the sanctions that Russia imposed on the Western country.
Last August 7, Moscow imposed a food ban in response to the trade sanctions imposed on them by the U.S. and the EU because of the crisis in Ukraine. On Friday, September 12 the European Union and the United States doubled the sanctions affecting the banking, defence and energy sector.
The Bank for Foreign Trade (Bancoex) has a list of Venezuelan products that have the potential of being exported to Russia. This list includes, by sector, agricultural and vegetable products, food, plastics and glassware, electrical equipment, beverages and tobacco.
The various agricultural and plant products, such as fruits, give Venezuela a head start. Bancoex wants and could offer Russia agricultural products such as tangerines, fresh oranges, guavas, mangoes, mangosteens, cocoa paste.
Russian authorities are discussing what products they may require from Venezuela, and in some cases, they are in talking with their Venezuelan counterparts, reported sources aware of the negotiations.
Caracas wants to take advantage of the vacuum left by the sanctions on key items from Europe and the U.S.
Bancoex believes that the raw materials, mineral products, chemicals, plastics and glassware have a greater opportunity to enter Russia.
Venezuela would be able to provide insecticides to Russia, although there could be some prohibitions by Russia's Federal Customs Service due to environmental regulations. At present there are no penalties in this sector and France, Belgium, Austria and Germany are Russia's main chemical suppliers.
Meanwhile, Europe suffers and Latin America smiles. Moscow resumed Peruvian fish imports, Brazilians increased their exports of meat and Chile increased its exports of fruits, such as apples, to Russia.
Source: eluniversal.com