Europe hasprolonged the sanctions against Russia by half a year, according to variousmedia. According to the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation (NOS), the ambassadorsof the Member States have agreed to this. Originally, the sanctions were to beuntil 31 July, according to this agreement they remain in effect until January2017.
Lifting thesanctions is linked to the implementation of the Minsk Accords. Not enoughprogress has been made, according to the EU, to lift the sanctions. “Nospecific date can be given as to when the European Council will vote on thedecision. In technical terms, this should happen before the end of July,”according to a source from Brussels to the Russian news agency TASS.
TheAgricultural and Horticultural Organization Netherlands (LTO) is disappointed. “Thisisn’t getting us anywhere,” says Albert Jan Maat to BNR. “The sanctions affectthe agriculture and horticulture excessively one-sided. The political leadersshould be the ones fixing this.”
Uzbekistanwants more export Russia
Uzbekistanhas the potential of exporting more fruit and vegetables to Russia. The countryhas set a goal of 800,000 tons per year. Last year, the export was only 48,000ton (33.4 million dollar). The cotton acreage decrease should help increasing thefresh produce. 5,700 hectares of the 30,500 hectares cotton that have beencleared, can be used for horticultural purposes. In addition, there are plansto increase the cold storage. Last year, 10.1 million ton vegetables werecultivated in Uzbekistan, next to 1.85 million ton melons, 1.56 million tongrapes, and 2.73 million tons of various fruits.
Russian import stagnates
Russiaimported 6.8 million tons of fruit and vegetables last year. The year beforethat, it was 7.9 million tons; in 2012 it was even more than 8 million tons.Before the boycott on Turkey, Turkey was the major supplier of fruit andvegetables. The Turkish export was almost 1.3 million tons. The second-largestsupplier was Ecuador that exported 1.2 million tons, mostly bananas. The third-and fourth-largest suppliers were Belarus (1.09 million tons) and China (671,000tons). Next were Egypt (364,700 tons), Morocco (296,000 tons), and Israel(242,800 tons).
The mostimported product is the banana, with 1.2 million tons. Next on the list areapples (880,000 tons), tangerines (768,700 tons), tomatoes (665,500 tons), andoranges (463,700 tons). The list continues with onions (<264,000 tons),pears (257,600), grapes (253,300O), lemons (200,000 tons), and peaches (19,700tons).
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