Russia mulls raising tomato import quota for Turkey by 50,000 tns

MOSCOW, Dec 16 (PRIME) -- The Russian Agriculture Ministry has suggested raising the tomato import quota for Turkey to 250,000 tonnes from 200,000 tonnes, as seen by PRIME in the ministry’s draft ruling published on the government’s website late on Tuesday.

The Federal Customs Service says that Turkey exported 190,734 tonnes of tomatoes as of December 13. “The proposals to amend the ruling were prepared in order to avoid suspension of tomato exports from the Republic of Turkey to the territory of the Russian Federation,” the ruling’s explanatory note read.

Russia banned exports of some food from Turkey in January 2016 after an attack of Turkish air forces on Russia’s Su-24 jet fighter in Syria. Restrictions were gradually lifted starting from the autumn of 2016, but a ban on imports of tomatoes was kept until November 2017.

In May 2018, Russia lifted a restriction on the amount of Turkish companies allowed to export tomatoes, but set up a quota on total exports, which was expanded to 200,000 tonnes in February 2020.

On December 11, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight banned exports of tomatoes and pepper from the Turkish provinces of Antalya and Izmir after discovering quarantine organisms in the tomatoes. It said it may ban exports from two more provinces – Trabzon and Hatay.

The service restricted tomato imports from other states, including Azerbaijan, Armenia and Uzbekistan.

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