The Ministry of Agriculture initially proposed the duty-free import of tomatoes, suggesting an import volume of 130,000 tonnes. However, the EEC reduced this figure to 100,000 tonnes The Russian government…

The Ministry of Agriculture initially proposed the duty-free import of tomatoes, suggesting an import volume of 130,000 tonnes. However, the EEC reduced this figure to 100,000 tonnes

The Russian government has recently approved a resolution that allows the import of up to 100,000 tonnes of tomatoes free of customs duties until May 31, 2024. The decision was made to ensure stable prices for this commodity by increasing its supply in the domestic market. However, according to the Russian News Agency, the customs benefits will only apply to medium and large-sized tomatoes, excluding ribbed, elongated, and cherry varieties.

This resolution was created to implement the Eurasian Economic Commission’s decision on granting tariff preferences for the import of certain types of tomatoes into Russia, which was adopted on January 26, 2024. The base duty rate for tomato imports is 10 per cent of the customs value, which is not less than 0.053 euros per kilogram.

The Ministry of Agriculture initially proposed the duty-free import of tomatoes, suggesting an import volume of 130,000 tonnes. However, the EEC reduced this figure to 100,000 tonnes. Andrey Slepnov, the Minister for Trade of the EEC, has observed a trend where agricultural producers are shifting focus from one type of tomato to another, and there’s a rise in consumer demand. Given the constraints on significantly increasing greenhouse tomato production, importation can aid in short-term market balance. Specifically, Slepnov mentions imports from Turkey, China, Egypt, and Iran, whose pricing is comparable to domestic production.

According to Rosstat, as of March 25, tomato prices in Russia have risen by 20.4 per cent since the beginning of the year.