After Monday’s extension of EU sanctions, Russia wants to prolong and expand its food embargo. This may include flowers and chocolate, said Russian food watchdog spokesman Aleksey Alekseenko in an interview with Gazeta.ru.
READ MORE: EU extends economic
sanctions against Russia for 6 months – official
The EU sanctions
extension against Russia came into force on Tuesday and will remain
until 31 January 2016.
Russia was quick to
react to the EU decision Monday with the Prime Minister Dmitry
Medvedev ordering his chief of staff to ask President Putin for
an extension of Russian counter-sanctions.
“Many other
countries are willing to supply us flowers, and in this case our
industry in the area will begin to slowly recover should there be
an embargo. Also, there have been calls for a long time to import
flowers from Latin America directly rather than from the
Netherlands,” Rosselkhoznadzor’s Alekseenko said in
an interview published Tuesday.
READ MORE: Russia’s import ban means big business for Latin
America
As a transport hub the Netherlands exports large quantities of
flowers and flower products from Europe and Latin America to
Russia. According to customs data, in 2014 Russia imported 14,700
tons of flower bulbs, roots and other flower products worth $38
million. Imports of another 26,500 tons of other plants, such as
various cuttings, trees and shrubs were worth $58.3 million.
Deliveries of cut
flowers and flower buds for bouquets were even bigger, as last
year Russia imported 30,700 tons valued at $225.4 million.
Domestic manufacturers
have also asked for a ban on the import of European
chocolate.
Russian producers want to take the niche, occupied by high
quality EU chocolate from countries like Belgium, France and
Germany, and they have ability to do so, according to Alekseenko.
According to the customs
statistics, in 2014 France exported 5,600 tons of chocolate in
various forms worth $37.5 million. During the same period Belgium
exported $47.3 million worth chocolate products.
