MOSCOW: Russia increased imports of goods from non-CIS countries in 2017 by 24.3% year-on-year to $202.3 billion, the Federal Customs Service said on Monday. Imports of textiles and footwear surged 27% in December 2017 to $1.1 bln. Imports of food products and raw materials for their production grew by 16.6% to $2.5 bln, products of engineering industry – by 12.3% to $11.3 bln. Imports of chemical products rose by 4.5%, to $3.5 bln, the report says. Imports rose by 1.7 times for vegetables, 1.5 times for tobacco, 46.2% for vegetable oil, 45.1% for grain crops, 39.8% for fruits, 27.6% for fish, 23.3% for dairy products, and 22.2% for meat and byproducts.
Imports of chemicals grew on account of rising procurements of organic and nonorganic chemicals by 15.1% and pharmaceuticals by 5.5%Import declined in value terms by 2.5% for polymers and rubber and by 1.9% for soap and synthetic detergents. Imports of perfumery and cosmetics stayed flat in December 2017 on the monthly basis.Procurements rose by 22.5% for textile garments, 1.8 times for footwear, 14.5% for knitted wear, 9.7% for knitted fabric, 6.7% for cotton, 3.9% for ready textile items and 3.7% for textile materials. Imports declined by 8.5% for chemical fibers and stayed flat for chemical yarn. Purchases grew 2.3 times for vessels and watercraft, 27.4% for aircraft, 21.5% for optical tools and devices, 20.7% for locomotive parts and 19.5% for mechanical equipment.
