According to reports in Russian media the support for the sanctions is dropping among European countries. A new round of negotiations will start in June on extending the sanctions on Russia. Meanwhile Moscow is threatening to extend the sanctions against Turkey. Egyptian fruit and vegetable has a lower quality than usual, says the Russian phytosanitary inspection. Russia suspects trade of Turkish products. Ukraine imported less apples, partially due to an unfavourable exchange rate. And once again tonnes of Polish top fruit were intercepted and destroyed in the last few days.
More and more EU countries against sanctions
The Russian ambassador in the EU said in an interview with Russian media that support for the sanctions among EU member states is decreasing. "A growing number of countries, more and more leaders, are speaking out against the sanctions, not just in contact with us, but publicly," according to the ambassador. An EU meeting on the future of the sanctions is planned for June.
The French senator Gerard Larcher said to the Russian press bureau Tass that France is prepared to make a proposal to end the sanctions. "We need to prepare now, as there is no certainty that the sanctions will continue," according to the senator. The Frenchman did add that lifting the sanctions would be easier if the Minsk agreement was carried out.
Greece is also piping up again. A spokesperson for the Greek government told Tass that Athens "wholeheartedly supports the idea of repairing the relationship between the EU and Russia." Greece has been against the sanctions for a while. The Greece agriculture is being hit hard by the boycott, which is the result of the European sanctions.
According to the Russians the Austrian authorities said that they are looking at the damage of the sanctions both on Europe and Russia. "Lifting the sanctions is important to Vienna," according to the Russian ambassador in Vienna. Austria hasn't yet made an unambiguous decision on the sanctions.
Possibly more sanctions for Turkey
According to various media Russia is considering extending the list of boycotted agricultural products from Turkey. The head of the Russian phytosanitary service threatened to extend the sanctions. He says Russia can make the decision in a month.
Ukraine decreases apple import
In the season 2015/2016 the Ukraine has once again seen the imported volume of apples decrease. In February of this year the volume had even halved compared to February 2015. The country imported 5,000 tonnes of apples. In total the import between July and February 2015/2016 was slightly more than 9200 tonnes. The depreciation of the Ukrainian currency contributed to the lower import.
Russia: Quality of Egyptian fruit and vegetables decreased
According to the Russian phytosanitary inspection the quality of Egyptian fruits and vegetables has decreased. "It's a serious concern for the inspection that there are products arriving in Russia with certificates from Egypt, which aren't Egyptian," according to the Rosselkhoznadzor. Russia suspects Turkey of smuggling with Egyptian documents.
Poland gives apples away
The Polish apple growers are being forced to give apples away according to reports. The apples are being donated to charity, who then hand them out in cities and towns. This will continue this month.
Tonnes of Polish apples destroyed
The number of interceptions of illegal import remain high. Just this week the Rosselkhoznadzor published five reports on the interception and destruction of Polish top fruit. An overview of the intercepted products below:
Product: apples
Volume: 73 boxes
Country of origin: Poland
Location of interception: Arkhangelsk (Nothern Russia)
Product: apples
Volume: 20 tonnes
Country of origin: Poland
Location of interception: Tula (south of Moscow)
Product: apples
Volume: 1.2 tonnes
Country of origin: Poland (884 kg), unknown (334 kg)
Location of interception: Irkoetsk (Eastern Russia)
Product: pears
Volume: 18 tonnes
Country of origin: Poland
Location of interception: Orenburg (Central Russia)
Product: apples
Volume: 13 tonnes
Country of origin: Poland
Location of interception: Astrakhan (Southern Russia)
Russia negotiates with West African countries
The Russian authorities recently spoke to the ambassadors of Ivory Coast and Guinea. The Russians see a remarkable increase in the import of fruit from these countries. Russia fears that the documents have been forged. This is why Russia wants quick access to information on the export of the West African countries.