Russia boycots Turkish aubergine

Russia extends boycot of Turkey for phytosanitary reasons. Aubergines are also being boycotted. For the first time in years, Russians are spending more than half of their income on food again. Poverty in the country is also rising. Polish apples are significantly cheaper, and import to the Czech Republic has become more difficult due to new legislation.

Earlier this week Californian thrips were found in a batch of 15.92 tonnes of Turkish aubergine. Aubergines are not on the list of boycotted products, but due to this contamination the batch did not meet Russia’s phytosanitary requirements. It is the fourth time this year that Russian authorities find a similar contamination in Turkish aubergines. Because of this ‘continuing influx of contaminated Turkish aubergines’, the phytosanitary inspectorate announced a temporary boycot of Turkish aubergines. The measurement will come into effect on 25 April.

For the first time since 2008 Russians spend half of their monthly income on food again. Because of the decrease of real income, Russians are being forced to buy only basic items. In February Russians spent 50.1 per cent of their income on food, including alcohol and tobacco, a new study shows. In the poorer households, the largest part of disposable income is spend on food. Last year the number of Russians below the poverty line rose to 19.2 million, or 13.4 per cent of the population. That is the highest poverty rate of the past nine years.

The Czech government has decreed new import requirements for fruits and vegetables. This will increase the bureaucratic burden on importers. Twenty-four hours before a batch is imported, importers have to submit additional documents. Although the regulations apply to all EU countries, especially Polish exporters are affected. Poland is the largest trade partner of the Czech Republic. Polish trade fears that the Czechs will import less. Earlier the government decreed a similar measure for meat and meat products.

The price for Polish apples is on average 30 per cent lower than last year. This is caused by slow export and high supply. Apples bring in between 16 and 37 cents per kilo. The best prices are for Golden Delicious and Gala. A year ago the lower limit of the market was 25 cents per kilo. Ukraine is currently the largest trade partner of Poland. In addition, Polish trade still manages to export apples to Russia under the radar.