Russia promises to exclude customs duties on import of fruits, vegetables, grapes, wine products from Moldova as of 2019

Chisinau, 31 October /MOLDPRES/ - Russia might exclude the customs duties on the import of vegetables, fruits, canned fruits and vegetables, as well as grapes and wine products starting from 1 January 2019. President Igor Dodon reached an agreement to this effect at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin today.  

Igor Dodon wrote on a social network that he had agreed with the Russian president “on the undertaking of concrete joint actions to increase the export of Moldovan goods to the Russian market, including the exclusion, starting from 1 January 2019, of the customs duties” on the export of vegetables, fruits (apples, cherries, plums, nectarines, etc), canned fruits and vegetables, as well as grapes and wine products to Russia.    

Moscova put an embargo on the Moldovan wines on 10 September 2013 and afterwards Russia allowed the access to the Russian market only to companies from the Transnistrian region and the Gagauz autonomy. Two months after Moldova had ratified the Association Agreement with EU in July 2014, a decree by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the imposing of customs duties on the import of more products from Moldova entered into force. It is about 19 categories of goods, among which meat, cereals, sugar, fruits, vegetables and furniture.    

According to data by the National Statistics Bureau, the export of Moldovan goods to the Russian market dropped dramatically after Russia had introduced bans, from 423 million dollars in 2014 to 254 million dollars in 2017.    

The National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) in last mid-September informed that ANSA had demands on behalf of 258 agricultural enterprises for the export of fruits and vegetables to Russia. Yet, since 2015 so far, only 54 of them have got the authorization of Rosselkhoznadzor. Enterprises registered in the districts from the left bank of Dniester or the Gagauz autonomy have priority to export vegetal products to the Russian market.   

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)