MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. China is considering lifting the ban on import of Russian food, Russia’s Trade Representative in China Alexei Gruzdev told TASS.
“Lately, there have been active consultations of experts from both countries on access to the market,” he said.
The official said the limitations for supplies from Russia to China of grain, meet, diary and some other products “are of technical character,” and to have them lifted requires only certain formalities.“
China banned import of grain from Russia and some other countries as its authorities found smut in supplied grain. China needs grain first of all for livestock feeding. The country has been buying grain from Canada and the U.S. - about two million tonnes a year.
Supplies of livestock products from Russia were stopped several years ago. Russia stopped importing Chinese dairy products from 2008 following the “melamine scandal.”
“We hope for a wider niche of the Russian food in the Chinese market,” the trade representative said, adding Russian meet, cereals, honey fish and dairy products have good reputation in China.
Russia and China began more actively negotiating mutual food supplies following Russia’s food embargo against countries, which had introduced sanctions against Russia.