June 20 2002, 17:01

Russian Government To Increase Import Duties and Quotes

MK-Novosti Informational Agency reports that on May 20 Russia's First Deputy Ministers of Agriculture and Health Anatoliy Mikhalyov and Gennadiy Onishchenko spoke in the State Duma on the issue of quality of the food products, imported to the country from abroad. According to them, the imported products are not infrequently of unsatisfactory quality and therefore, the pressing of imports upon home food manufacturers is completely unjustified.

To protect their interests the Government has taken a number of protective measures. Thus, raw sugar import duty has already been increased to 40% and, starting from July 1, a temporary duty in the amount of 50% of the value of imported raw sugar shipment is introduced. Besides, the nearest time it is planned to increase the import duty for butter from 15% to 30% and that for dry milk from 15% to 23%. Meat duties are also increased: from 15 to 80% for pork and from 15 to 25% for beef, restrictions being imposed on imports of pork.

Mikhalyov informed that over the past 5 months the country's food manufacture had increased 5% against the corresponding months of last year, but imports of foods from abroad rose 1.5 to 2 times. The share of imports in country's retail trade is about 30%.