The boycott will possibly continue until 2018, a Russian expert predicted at a dairy convention. According to the expert, the Russian agricultural sector is starting to see the importance of agriculture, and a lot of investments are being done. Russia launched a rocket to the ISS space station with apples, garlic and onions included in its cargo. The supply to the space station not only provides the astronauts with these fruit and veg products, but also mail and fuel. Russia announced additional inspections at Belarusian companies after previous reports on suspected smuggling. Medvedev praised the Belarusian agricultural sector, saying Russia could learn a thing or two from them. Luxembourg, president of the European Council in the coming months, spoke with Russia about relations with Europe. And again, shipments were stopped at the border. Poland received a Chinese inspection, and Ukraine reports harvesting more vegetables than there is demand.
Boycott possibly until 2018
The Russian embargo on Western food could last until 2018, according to Mikhail Mischenko, a Russian dairy expert, at the World Dairy Summit, as reported by Irish website agriland.ie. According to Mikhail, Russian agriculture finally realizes its strength. "There is a lot of investing going on in processing, and new facilities are built. This is a big opportunity for small companies," the expert says. A negative consequence of the boycott is that consumption has decreased, as Mikhail also admits. Big companies are displeased about this trend.
Russia launches apples to ISS
Russia has sent an unmanned rocket to the ISS space station. The rocket is filled with 2.3 tonnes of foodstuffs, fuel and private mail for the astronauts manning the station. The Soyuz rocket was launched from Kazakhstan early this month. The rocket's hold includes twenty kilos of fresh produce, including apples, garlic, onions, peanuts and jam. At the moment, the space station is manned by three Russians, two Americans and a Japanese astronaut.
Additional inspections for Belarus
Following earlier reports, in which Russia's neighbour Belarus was suspected of smuggling illegal products across the border, Russia is now announcing additional inspections at Belarusian companies. The inspection focuses first and foremost on dairy and meat companies, but Russia also has doubts about the origin of fruit and vegetables. Belarus reports working on a better system, which would make illegal transit more difficult.
Medvedev praises agriculture Belarus
The agricultural sector in Belarus is well-developed. Russia can learn a thing or two from it, Medvedev said in response to a question at a press conference. According to the Russian prime minister, the countries need to work together. To replace the banned products, Russia is looking at partner countries first of all, including Belarus.
Luxembourg in talks with Russia
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg visited his Russian colleague Putin to discuss relations with the EU. Luxembourg is president of the European Council during the second half of this year. The prime minister noted that the country keeps making an effort to improve the worsened situation between Europe and Russia. In addition, international conflicts were discussed, including Ukraine and Syria.
Russia stops trucks from Kazakhstan
On October 3 and 4, Russian customs stopped a convoy of trucks. The cargo, 28 tonnes of onions, 12 tonnes of eggplant, 22 tonnes of bell peppers and 20 tonnes of watermelons, supposedly did not meet import requirements. Although it was determined that the products were originally grown in Kazakhstan, a phytosanitary certificate was missing. The products were sent back.
Apple sauce becomes luxury product
Experts in Russia fear that prices for apple sauce will skyrocket. Growers of apples for the processing industry are making good prices, with industrial apples yielding 2.5 times as much on average. The experts fear this price increase will be passed on in the final product, causing prices of products like apple sauce to increase. The cause is a smaller harvest and higher production and transport costs. In Kaliningrad, processing companies reportedly also buy apples from small growers, and people in the countryside who have a few trees in their garden. One grower says he used to harvest the apples only for his own consumption, leaving the rest on the trees. Now he picks the apples for a bit of extra income.
Poland receives Chinese inspection
A Chinese delegation visited Poland, to inspect companies and look into the possibility of opening the Chinese borders to Polish apples. According to the Association of Polish Fruit Growers, the Chinese have been interested in the Polish apples for some time now. The inspection visited orchards during the harvest, and apples were tasted. According to some companies, an order for 500 tonnes had already been placed.
Ukraine harvest higher than demand
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture, the country has had a good harvest this year. The harvested volume was reportedly 23% higher than demand. The vegetable harvest amounts to 8.7 million tonnes this year. Demand is calculated to be 6.7 million tonnes, based on 160.2 kilos per capita. The harvest does end up lower than last year, when 9.64 million tonnes was harvested. Late last month, 5.22 million tonnes were harvested off 311,200 hectares, a yield of 168 kilos per hectare. The potato harvest is disappointing, however. Due to the hot summer, yields are 20% lower than last year, causing the prices to rise.
Russian supermarkets settle in Western Europe
More Russian retailers are settling in Western European countries, including the Netherlands, Rusproject reports. These aren't new stores, but branches of the headquarters. This way, retailers can make use of the better legal protection of companies or takeovers. In addition, many chains are originally Western European.