Majority of Russians support boycott

The Russian inspection service has once again sent back a shipment of fruit to Belarus. It consisted of 137 tonnes of oranges, mandarins and apples, of which the included documents weren't in order. In Romania, potato prices are 36% lower because of overproduction and the boycott. The Chinese apple export to Russia is also in a downward spiral. On the Russian side, traditional vegetables and potatoes are getting more expensive, but demand for beetroot is decreasing. According to the St. Petersburg city authorities, retailers in the city have been able to find new suppliers outside the EU.

The Russian phytosanitary service has sent 137 tonnes of oranges, mandarins and apples back to Belarus. According to the inspection, the products were imported illegally. For more than 40 tonnes of mandarins and oranges, the necessary documents and phytosanitary certificates from Tunisia were missing. The re-export papers from Belarus had been signed for 97 tonnes of Polish apples, another violation of the rules.

Romanian potato prices going down
The potato prices in Romania are about 36% lower than a year ago. The cause is overproduction and the Russian boycott. The prices are at the lowest level of the past 20 years, which means the growers have to sell the potatoes below the cost price. Romania produced 3.5 million tonnes of potatoes in 2014. In 2013, that was still 3.25 million tonnes.

Georgia signs trade agreement
Georgia has reached an agreement with Russia on the export of herbs. The export is getting started, despite a lack of knowledge at laboratories, and a governmental monitoring system. Both parties agreed with keeping the mutual inspections in place.

Russians prefer white cabbage and onions
According to Fruit-Inform data, demand for white cabbage and onions in Russia is the largest within the potato and traditional vegetable category. Demand for beetroot is exceptionally low, which makes selling difficult. After the prices for beetroot went up, growers immediately reported a decreasing demand. The beetroot became 25% more expensive. The other vegetables showed bigger price increases. Onions, for instance, became 50% more expensive, and carrots and potatoes went up by 40-50%. According to Fruit-Inform, Russian bureau Rosstat is structurally reporting too-low price increases for vegetables.

St. Petersburg finds new suppliers
According to the governor of St. Petersburg, the retailers in the city have found new suppliers for the banned products. The chains have signed contracts with companies in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Serbia, Macedonia, the Middle East and Africa. However, the city authorities are still worried about the increasing food prices, and they wish to discuss that with retailers.

Greece hit hard by boycott
According to new statistics, the Greek export of fruit went down by 4% in the first ten months of last year, to 765 million Euro, compared to the same period a year before. The year started positively with increasing export value and volumes, but the Russian boycott dealt a heavy blow. The export, calculated in Euro, went down by 7.1%. In September and October, the export even went down by 13% and 11%. Nevertheless, 3.5% more was exported in total.

Chinese apple export decreases
The Chinese apple export to Russia decreased by 3% in the period from July until November, compared to the same period a year before. The negative trend has been visible for six years now. Since 2007, the volumes have more than halved. The Chinese apple is losing ground to the cheaper apples from Serbia and, before the boycott, Poland and Moldova.