Warsaw (Puls Biznesu) – Although the Russian Ministry of Agriculture promised to levy exports embargo for Polish food producers three weeks ago, no decisions have been made as yet.
After international food fairs in Berlin called Gruene Woche, the Polish diplomats were in good mood. Krzysztof Jurgiel, the Minister of Agriculture, managed to talk with his Russian counterpart Alexiey Vasilevitch Gordiyew on the fraud veterinary certificates. This was the reason for Russian embargo on Polish meat and then plant products exports. Russian representatives promised to view papers explaining how the frauds were made and will immediately make decisions on exports.
“We have not had any signal from Moscow as yet. We are still waiting”, Malgorzata Ksiazyk from the Ministry of Agriculture said.
Food producers get restless.
“Every day with exports embargo means losses to us. Competition keeps working”, Witold Choinski, the CEO of the Polish Association of Meat Producers, Exporters and Importers, stressed.
Grain, vegetable and fruit, especially apple exporters have even bigger losses. Since January 1st, lower duties have been implemented. Poland sells to Russia 300,000-350,000 tones of apples, or 80 percent of Poland’s exports. Exports of meat and other plant products to Russia is worth USD 350m a year.