Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2
Trend:
Russia will soon take more Turkish-grown fruits and vegetables off its sanctions list, said Turkey’s Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci, Sputnik reported Nov. 2.
"The Russian market has reopened its doors for us. We can already import oranges, tangerines, apricots, peaches, and plums,” said the minister. “We continue talks with Russia and we know that Russia will soon allow sales of other crops.”
Russia banned imports of many agricultural products, including meat, from Turkey starting on Jan. 1, 2016 after the crisis, when Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber with two pilots on board in late 2015.
Turfenkci said that prior to sanctions, Russia imported around 40 percent of Turkey’s fruits and vegetables.
It was Turkey’s first largest buyer of tangerines, lemons and grapefruits, and the second largest market for oranges, he noted.
As of now, Russia still keeps Turkish grapes, apples, pears, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, onions, cauliflower, whole chickens and turkeys and their subproducts, among other food items, added the minister.