Russia to import meat from Africa
It is understood that the country is likely to import both traditional and exotic meats, particularly meat from certain species of antelope.
"Do not be surprised, we have a varied cuisine - especially in the large cities. So we are receiving very different requests," said Dankvert.
Industry observers have pointed out that, given the deficit of meat products in the country, Rosselkhoznadzor seems to have changed its attitude to approving new suppliers to the market. Earlier in October, for example, the department authorised imports of crocodile meat from a business in the Philippines.
However, the head of Rosselkhoznadzor has denied any connection between these steps and the embargo imposed by Russia on food imports from the European Union (EU), the USA and some other countries at the beginning of August. "Nobody is going to replace the mass meat products, like pork and beef with some exotic meat products," added Dankvert.
Nevertheless, experts have suggested that, in the near future, Rosselkhoznadzor is likely to intensify the search for new suppliers of meat products, in connection with further restrictions on meat imports from major trading partners, which are already under way.
Russia is also set to introduce a ban on the re-export and transit of meat from the Baltic countries and Ukraine.
"Next week we will consider bans on re-export from some countries, due to a distrust of their certification," confirmed Dankvert. "In particular, the issue of Ukraine’s re-export certificates will be decided following a meeting with representatives from the Russian border regions, where the banned products appear most often."
Rosselkhoznadzor is concerned about the increasing number of cases detecting illegally exported meat in Russia. At the beginning of October, 60 tonnes (t) of pork and beef from Spain were discovered in the Belgorod Oblast, having been imported from Ukraine.
Around the same time, in Omsk Oblast, a shipment of 20t of poultry meat from the USA was detected, which had been re-exported from Kazakhstan. Industry commentators have noted that the fight against illegal exports will only strengthen the search for new meat suppliers.
"It should be understood that illegal re-export has now became massive, and it pretty much keeps the prices for meat in the domestic market from further growth. With more tough measures against re-exports, we will see further response from the market," said Russian agricultural analyst Eugene Gerden.
"And given this situation, a permit to import meat from some African countries is only the beginning. Russia now is ready to take all the available suppliers," he added.
Meanwhile, doubts about the feasibility of the embargo on meat from Western countries have appeared among Russian authorities. The Accounting Chamber of Russia has published a forecast stating that the country will not be able to replace the banned meat imports, which poses a significant threat to the domestic market.
