Russia likely to resume import of cherries, plums, apricots from Moldova
11:37 | 27.05.2015 Category: Economic
Chisinau, 27 May /MOLDPRES/- Moscow might resume the import of cherries, plums and apricots from Moldova, the Rosselkhoznadzor Federal Service for Veterinary and Phyto-sanitary Surveillance has said after a round of negotiations held between the deputy head of the Russian agency, Yulia Shvabauskene and representatives of the National Agency for Food Safety (ANSA) .
"The negotiations were held following a request by the Moldovan side, who expressed interest to supply cherries, plums, apricots and peaches to the Russian market. These supplies might be allowed only after the Russian experts analyse the ANSA activity", Shvabauskene said.
ANSA officials confirmed that agency's director Iurie Carp had had a phone conversation with representatives of the Russian service. In three days, joint control procedures are to be established and sent to the Russian surveillance authority, after which Rosselkhoznadzor will announce the date of the visit by Russian experts to Moldova. The Moldovan authorities hope that the exports will be finally resumed.
Rosselkhoznadzor intends to get knowledge of mechanisms of certification of goods from Moldova. Thus, the Russian side demanded the data of the last three years on volume of production of fruits and findings of phyto-sanitary monitoring of the concerned orchards.
The Russian federal service banned the import of fruits from Moldova on 21 June 2014. The Russian authority reasoned the decision that the Moldovan producers would have been violated phyto-sanitary requirements. Chisinau described the decision as political.
The World Bank Board of Directors has recently approved an additional financing worth 12 million dollars for Moldova within the project on competitive agriculture. The money will be provided to the small producers to mitigate difficulties they face in exporting goods to Russia. Thus, small producers of apples, plums and grapes with plots of land smaller than 15 hectares, who sold their production for processing on domestic market in 2014, will benefit from this money.
About 30 per cent of wine exports amounting to 35 million dollars, 93 per cent of apple exports worth 43.7 million dollars and 80 per cent of of plum exports, estimated at 21.1 million dollars, have been earlier directed to Russia.
(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)
