"Russia does not miss our fruit at all"

There is a Russian boycott on Dutch and Belgian fruit and vegetables. It was thought that Russia would find it difficult to fill their shelves. Nothing is further from the truth, says Jan Prinsen of the Belgian Fresh Food Institute. "I have just returned to Belgium from a trip to Russia. I visited a few shops and markets there. I wanted to get an impression of the fruit and vegetable situation. To my amazement, I saw that the Russian shops are offering a full assortment of fruit and vegetables. These are also of outstanding quality."

"Most of the citrus in the shops is from Spain or Morocco. Mona Lisa brand oranges were of very high quality. In a large, covered market, there were stalls full of fruit and vegetables. The sellers make a lot of effort displaying their products. It is nice to see", says Jan. The former Director of fresh producers, the Colruyt Group, noticed that tomatoes in Russia are packaged separately.

"It is obvious that the Russian market like large fruits. I have never seen such big radishes. There is no shortage of special varieties on this market. Orange lemons from Uzbekistan are on offer there. There are also enough apples and pears. If the boycott ever ends, the Belgians and Dutch will have to do their utmost to break into the market again", says Jan.

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Jan Prinsen