MOSCOW - Lithuania's food exports to Russia plummeted 94 percent in January-April 2015 year-on-year owing to the food product embargo that Russia imposed in August 2014.
Lithuanian exported food products worth $16.5 million to Russia in 4 months, down from $301 million in the same period last year and $412 million in the first four months of 2013, Russian agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor reported following a meeting between agency head Sergei Dankvert and Lithuanian Ambassador to Russia Remigius Motuzas.
The Lithuanian sides noted that Russia’s embargo were having a negative effect on the Lithuanian economy.
Rosselkhoznadzor informed the Lithuanian side that in the event of cancellation of the embargo, those enterprises that previously exported product to Russia under the guarantee of the their national veterinary services, would not automatically receive access to the Russian market but would have to be inspected by Russian specialists. “This is due to the fast changing situation on the global market connected with the inability to conduct full-fledged trade with Russia in the past year,” Rosselkhoznadzor said. “The reorientation of foreign producers to operations with other importers has made it impossible to meet the requirements of Russian law,” it said.
Confirmation of this was provided by the inspection of fish processing enterprises in Latvia and Estonia, which resulted in the total ban on imports of fish products from those countries.
Rosselkhoznadzor plans to conduct analogous checks in Lithuania.
