Russia has limited transport of products from Belarus with destination Kazakhstan. This trade is only possible through a number of specific checkpoints. According to the Russians, too many shipments are disappearing, ending up on the Russian market. In response to Russia's accusations, Macedonia has launched an investigation into the re-export. Russia suspects the country of exporting European products to Russia. And at the border with Lithuania, trucks with licence plates from the Baltic state are reportedly stopped. Spain admitted pleading with the European Commission for expansion of the compensation plan. And in Russia, more money is expected to be spent on food. Experts say 40% of the household budget will be spent on food.
Stricter rules for Belarus
The Russian phytosanitary service has tightened checks on export of Belarusian food. According to the service, 11,000 tonnes of European fruit and vegetables was exported from Belarus to Kazakhstan, that 'disappeared' in Russia. Russia says this is more than 10% of Belarus' total export volume. Transport from Belarus to Kazakhstan is only possible through special Russian checkpoints.
Macedonia investigates re-export
In response to Russia, which suspects Macedonia of illegal re-export, the Macedonian government is launching an inquiry. All information on re-export is looked into. If violations are found, companies and individuals will have to appear in court, the government says.
Spain wants more products in European compensation
During a meeting at the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, the minister confirmed that he asked the European Commission to expand the list of products eligible for compensation. He pleaded to include products like eggplants, courgettes, lemons, persimmons and pomegranates. So far, Spain received 6 million euros for taking 381 tonnes of tomatoes, 1581 tonnes of bell peppers, 125 tonnes of cucumber and 9580 tonnes citrus off the market.
Russian spend 40% household budget on food
Although Russians spend 36% of their household budget on food at the moment, experts expect this percentage to rise to 40%. Research shows that this percentage is much higher than in other European countries. In Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, this percentage is between 12-13%, in Poland and Turkey it's 23%. The same study claims that 20% of the money is spent on imported food, 40% for fruit, 25% for vegetables. More and more Russians go to discounters for their groceries. Discounters saw revenue go up in the past months.
Iran reaches trade agreement
The past months, Iran and Russia negotiated a trade agreement. Since the boycott, Russia is looking to Iran to replace part of the lost produce. According to the Iranian ambassador in Russia, an agreement has now been reached, and Iranian traders can export their products to Russia.
Lithuanian trucks not allowed into Russia
The Russian ambassador in Lithuania was summoned to the Lithuanian government. The Baltic state accuses Russia of stopping trucks from the country. Transport to Russia is an important part of the Lithuanian economy. The sector got through the economic war between the EU and Russia relatively unscathed, but that appears to be over now. Trucks with a Lithuanian licence plate are reportedly stopped at the border with Kaliningrad. The Russian Ministry of Transport did not comment on the accusations.
Ukrainian demand deep-frozen products halved
According to Fruit-Inform figures, demand for deep-frozen fruit and vegetables in Ukraine declined sharply compared to last year. According to domestic producers, demand has nearly halved. The cause, the producers say, is a price increase of the products, and less purchasing power for Ukrainians. For products that are hard to get fresh, the decline is less significant. Due to lower production of fresh blueberries, export of frozen blueberries also decreased.
Egyptian government optimistic about export
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, the country is ready to export 65 agricultural products to Russia. The government works together with Russia in committees, to make sure the products meet requirements. According to Egypt, the country is able to export 65 products without negative consequences for the domestic market.
Turkish export to Russia increased
According to the Turkish statistics bureau, export to Russia amounted to 412.2 million euros in September of this year, an 8% increase compared to August. Compared to the same period a year before, however, this is a 13.3% decrease.
Fruit export to Russian increased by 21.2%, from 38 million euros in August to over 48 million euros in September. Vegetable export went up from 707,470 euros in August, to over 3 million euros in September. Worth noting, however, is that export in August was extremely low, in other months of this year export never dropped below 3 million euros.