Vegetable growers of the Russian Federation consider it necessary to keep the ban on import of Turkish tomatoes for 3 more years

Russian growers need to keep the ban on the import of Turkish tomatoes for another 3 years, in order to have time to complete the implementation of investment projects in the sphere of greenhouse vegetable growing. This was reported by the President of the Union of Vegetable Producers Sergey Korolyov.

"By 2020, we will virtually dominate our own market for tomatoes and cucumbers.We have almost completely taken the market for cucumbers, and now we will determine the policy ourselves, and we will not let anyone in. And we still need about three years to tomato to To ensure a dominant position, that is, to occupy 80-90% of the market, "he said, answering the question, for how long it is necessary to keep the ban on the import of Turkish tomatoes and cucumbers.

Prior to Russia's embargo, the share of Russian tomatoes in the closed market in the domestic market was only 18%. Now managed to increase the share of domestic tomatoes, according to various estimates, up to 40-50%, said Korolev. He added that the share of domestic cucumbers already reaches 80%. "The investments that have been made allow us to say that by 2020 we will provide almost complete import substitution for vegetables of closed soil, and high quality," he said.

Korolev stressed that over the past 4 years, Russia has invested in the production of greenhouse vegetables more than 150 billion rubles. At the same time, the project implementation period is about 8 years.

"If we start experiments at the very beginning of the way to ensure import substitution to open - let everyone take it, firstly, this is a very serious blow to those investors who invested money - we will put them in conditions when it will be very difficult to service loans," - says the head of the association.

According to the Queen, do not be afraid that the prices for Russian vegetables will be high. At the same time, the admission of Turkish tomatoes can reduce prices in the wholesale chain, but retail prices will remain at the current level, and only retail chains will benefit, the union president stressed.

The loss of Russia and Turkey from the trade crisis

The day before, experts from the Gaidar Institute and the Russian Academy of Science considered that the trade crisis with Turkey had caused damage in the sphere of export of Russian grain and oil in the amount of $ 1.3-1.5 billion. At the same time, it allowed to free a niche of $ 0.5 billion for Russian cucumbers and Tomatoes.

"The dropping incomes of the Turkish side are really substantial - about $ 500 million. What they imported earlier," Korolev agreed.

At the same time, the president of the union stressed that when dealing with the trade crisis "it is unacceptable to push hawks and grain growers".

Prozerno General Director Vladimir Petrichenko, in an interview with TASS, noted that the losses to Russia and Turkey from the trade crisis are equivalent. "You know, I think that there are equivalent losses here." We do not provide enough (grain), but they overpay (for grain from other countries), and evaluate it as RANHIGS did - you can write like that, the estimates of the RASHiGS are too clumsy. In other countries with more expensive freight and more expensive price tags.This is a very important factor that moves the Turkish side to negotiations, "he said.

Vice-President of the Russian Grain Union Alexander Korbut agrees that the evaluation of the RASHiGS does not fully reflect the situation. "This estimate takes into account that this grain and oil - once - and will not go anywhere, but this is a bit wrong," he said.

Korbut explained that some of the grain will be delivered or already delivered to Turkey, in addition, Russia will redirect grain to other markets.

According to the experts interviewed, $ 1.5 billion is an approximate amount of grain and sunflower oil supplies to Turkey for the year.

The Trade Crisis

Turkey since March 15 has excluded Russia from the list of countries importing agricultural products without fees. Now the duty is applied to the import of agricultural products from Russia to Turkey. According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, which it received from exporters, the import customs duty on wheat and corn is 130%, rice - 45%, sunflower meal - 13.5%, beans - 9.7%. The duty for importing sunflower oil is an average of 36%, with a minimum customs threshold of $ 1,500 per ton (at a current price of $ 800 per tonne of sunflower oil).

Such measures were taken by Turkey because Russia did not lift the ban on the supply of Turkish tomatoes and cucumbers, Turgai Unlu, head of the Union of Exporters of Cereals, Legumes and Oilseeds of Central Anatolia, said earlier.

Since January 1, 2016, against the background of the complication of political relations, Russia has banned the import of a whole list of agricultural products from Turkey (oranges, mandarins, grapes, apples, pears, apricots, peaches and nectarines, plums, strawberries and strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower And broccoli, onions, frozen parts of carcasses and by-products of turkeys and domestic chickens, salt and chewing gum). In March, the Russian government lifted the ban on the supply of chewing gum, salt, onions, cauliflower, broccoli and cloves from Turkey. This is not the first easing of the embargo against the Republic of Turkey. In October 2016, Russia allowed the import of a number of Turkish fruits (stone and citrus fruits).