At the end of June at the meeting of the working group on protective measures in foreign trade of the government Commission on economic development and integration of the representatives of the Ministry of economic development told about the claims of the Turkish side related to the operation in Russia of quotas on imports of tomatoes, and appealed to the Ministry of agriculture with a request to form a position on this issue taking into account the balance of the internal market and possible consequences for domestic producers (minutes of the meeting are at the disposal of “RG”). As told in the Ministry of agriculture, the issue of changing quotas, it is advisable to consider only the results of the sample in full.
In 2015, Turkey has imported the territory of Russia 338 thousand tons of tomatoes. And quotas for Turkish tomatoes were introduced in 2016 after a Russian plane was shot down by Turkish fighter. First, import some Turkish products was prohibited altogether. Then Russia began to weaken sanctions for Turkish tomatoes, last time the quota was revised in February 2020, from 150 thousand to 200 thousand tons.
While we are not talking about abolishing quotas, you know market participants. Perhaps by the end of September could be revised towards a small increase.
According to the fruit and vegetable Union, Turkey’s share in the total volume of import of tomatoes is 17%. Last year the import of tomatoes from Turkey amounted to 94 thousand tons. And in 2020, Russia has already imported 53 thousand tons of Turkish tomatoes in the amount of 62 million dollars. And under the current quota, they may bring another 17 thousand tons. Given the fact that now the Turkish tomatoes to Russia are not delivered (we’re in the middle of the season, open ground), then these supplies will fall in the fourth quarter of 2020 and will have a direct impact on the economy of greenhouses, which this year and so faced with rising costs, falling demand and other negative factors, the Director of the fruit & vegetable Union Mikhail Glushkov.
“Therefore, we believe that the increase in quota in the current climate, it’s impractical,” he says.
He recalled that, thanks to state support over the past three years to the development of the protected ground investors invested about 195 billion. During this time, built more than 800 hectares of greenhouses and created more than 9.5 thousand jobs. Assessment of fruit and vegetable Union, the production of tomatoes in Russia for five months 2020 to the same period in 2019 increased by 38.5% to a record 149 thousand tons. While imports during the same period decreased by 15.5%. In Russia today there are more than 2,6 thousand hectares of greenhouses, and the security for domestic tomatoes is already over 50%. However, according to the Doctrine of food security, the country should provide herself to vegetables in General, 90%.
thus, according to Rosstat, the wholesale price of tomatoes in 2020 decreased by 15% treat��belonging to the same period last year. And in the spring of last year, wholesale prices for imported products was 87% below average wholesale prices of domestic producers.
But even if Turkish tomatoes will continue to enter the domestic market, it is essential to ensure thorough vetting of phytosanitary security. “Turkey today is one of the troubled countries on new and very dangerous disease of tomatoes, which when released into the greenhouse can kill all plants just a week,” says Mikhail Glushkov.
in addition, the risk of imported tomatoes may represent for the consumer. Now on border there is no control over the residual contents of pesticides and agricultural chemicals in imported vegetables. This function was entrusted to the Rosselkhoznadzor until 2011, but then it was abolished. After the abolition of the control of the Rosselkhoznadzor supply of dangerous products has increased significantly, experts say. “Right now, in fact, the importers are not responsible for the delivery of poor-quality and dangerous products into our market. This allows the use in the production of banned in Russia plant protection products and fertilizers”, – says Glushkov.
