OREANDA-NEWS By May 31, 2024, the government of the Russian Federation abolished customs duties on the import of certain types of fresh and chilled tomatoes into the country for supplies of up to 100 thousand tons, it follows from the relevant decree.

"To approve the attached rules for the distribution of the volume of certain types of tomatoes, fresh or chilled, for which a tariff benefit is provided ...", the resolution says.

"These rules establish the procedure for distributing the volume of fresh or chilled tomatoes among participants in foreign trade activities, with the exception of ribbed, oblong (elongated) and cherry-shaped tomatoes (including cocktail varieties of tomatoes), medium-fruited and large-fruited, in respect of which a tariff benefit is provided for in subparagraph 7.1.66 of paragraph 7 of the decision of the Customs Union Commission dated November 27, 2009 No. 130 "On the unified customs and tariff regulation of the Eurasian Economic Union", in the amount of 100 thousand tons," the document says.

At the same time, the size of the approved quota is less than the one proposed by the Russian Federation: the subcommittee of the Cabinet of Ministers on customs tariff and non-tariff regulation previously approved the introduction of a tariff benefit in the first half of the year, involving the abolition of duties on imports of 130 thousand tons of tomatoes.

The EEC Trade Minister Andrei Slepnev clarified at the time that imports in the short term would help balance the market due to growing consumer demand and the impossibility of a sharp increase in greenhouse tomato production. According to him, we can talk, in particular, about Turkey, China, Egypt and Iran, whose products can be comparable in prices with domestic production.