Ukraine and Turkey are in talks over a free trade agreement that should be put into place this year. The Kremlin helped out an ailing national bank. The EEU lowers import tariffs for a number of vegetables and the Russian inspection investigates Dutch fruit tree companies. And finally multiple batches of illegal import were intercepted and destroyed in recent days. There appears to be a noticeable peak in the smuggling of Polish hard fruit.
Before the end of the year Ukraine and Turkey want to reach a free trade agreement. The two countries have resumed the negotiations that had been suspended since 2013. During a meeting in Ankara Turkish president Erdogan and his Ukrainian colleague Poroshenko presented an ambitious plan to increase trade between the two nations to 20 billion dollars in 2020. Last year trade between the countries came to 3.6 billion dollars. For Turkey, Ukraine is chiefly an important citrus market. However, in general Ukraine exports more to Turkey than the other way around.
source: www.fsvps.ru
Bailout for Russian national bank
The consequences of the Western sanctions on Russia are becoming painfully clear in the latest steps taken by the Kremlin. The Russian government is putting 150 billion rouble (2.2 billion dollars) in national bank Vneshekonombank, prime minister Medvedev announced. Because the bank lost access to the international capital markets, its credit rating fell sharply. Therefore, an investment by the Russian state is needed to give the bank stability.
The EEU (Eurasian Economic Union) lowers import tariffs for a number of products. The import tariffs for broccoli, sprouts and cabbage will be lowered from 11-13 per cent to 5 per cent for the period up to May. Other products for which the tariffs will be lowered are figs, pistachios and dried grapes.
The Russian inspectorate is going to investigate Dutch fruit tree companies. The aim is to resume the export of fruit trees and fruit tree rootstocks. This trade has been suspended for a longer time than the boycott of fruits and vegetables.
The Russian inspectorate is making many seizes of illegally imported fruit and vegetables lately. Once more an outline of a number of noticeable interceptions. In recent weeks Polish hard fruit has been found remarkably often.
In the Kostromo region 103 kilograms of apples have been found. According to the labels on the crates, their country of origin was Poland.
On the border with Belarus a creative smuggling attempt was brought to light. A batch of apples was entered at customs under the guise of dairy products. Documents had been forged, but customs officers were not fooled, and the apples were destroyed.
source: www.fsvps.ru
In the Tula region 21.2 tonnes of apples of Polish origin were intercepted. Forged documents could not fool customs officers, upon inspection of the crates they found Poland as the country of origin on the labels. The apples were destroyed.
During an inspection in the Pskov region a creative smuggler was caught. According to his papers he was transporting ceramic tiles, but on closer inspection customs officers found 21 tonnes of apples. Customs officers saw multiple failed forgeries of the labels and Poland was noted as the country of origin. The apples have been destroyed at the landfill.
Polish pears that entered the Krasnodar region under the radar, were eventually discovered upon inspection of the warehouses in the region. All 775 kilograms of pears have been destroyed.
In the Omsk region a trader was also caught with a number of illegally imported products. It concerns 596 kilograms of cabbage, 1094 kilograms of apples and 168 kilograms of pears from Poland and 378 kilograms of Dutch celeriac. The products have been destroyed.
Inspectors in Tatarstan found 94 kilograms of apples and 581 kilograms of tomatoes from Turkey. In accordance with the presidential decree the products have been destroyed. In Buryatia the inspection found 89 crates of Polish apples as well. Although the driver of the lorry said he was on his way to Kazakhstan, the apples were confiscated and destroyed.
In a batch of 28 tonnes of Turkish aubergines Californian thrips was discovered. In Samara 770 kilograms of tomatoes from Turkey were discovered. The tomatoes were destroyed.