Min: Russia can find alternative food market to Turkey in 5 mos

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Mar 27 (PRIME) -- A search for new markets to sell Russian agricultural products to replace Turkey, which has restricted imports of wheat, corn, sunflower seed meal and oil, will take up to five months, Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachyov told reporters on Monday.

“Turkey’s position is surprising for us, in many ways provocative. This is quite a serious setback on sales, on exports,” he said.

“We need to look for new markets as fast as we can. The advantage is that there is already little grain in the country, we are waiting for a new harvest. We do not have any oversupply. We hope that we will enter new markets and replace Turkey painlessly in two-three, maximum five months.”

The Turkish government denies any prohibitions but head of the Turkish agricultural exporters’ association Zekeriya Mete said that the local Economy Ministry had tacitly introduced “a new rule” for Russian wheat in retaliation for Russia’s remaining restrictions on imports of Turkish goods.

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