MOSCOW: Russia will be able to supply up to 300,000 tonnes of grain to Turkey until June 30, which is the end of the season, following the Turkish decision to lift restrictions on Russian grain import, President of the Russian Grain Union Arkadiy Zlochevskiy told Sputnik on Thursday. He pointed out that Turkish companies found ways to buy Russian grain, avoiding restrictions imposed by the Turkish authorities. In this agricultural year, Russia will supply some 3 million tonnes of grain to Turkey, which is less than in previous years when the volume amounted to around 4 million tonnes. On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that Russia and Turkey agreed on lifting restrictions put in place by Turkey.
In March, Russia’s National Association of Exporters of Agricultural Products (NAEAP) called on Russian Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev to take measures to restore the export of agricultural goods to Turkey. According to the NAEAP, the Turkish authorities suspended the issuance of duty-free import licenses for Russian grain cultures and vegetable oil on March 15. Under the current customs rules, wheat, as well as some other food products imported by Turkey are subject to a 130-percent entry fee, despite Russian goods having had enjoyed duty-free entry to the Turkish market prior to March.
