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Uruguay ready to supply more soybeans, cheese, rice and mutton to Russia

Russia has already become a main buyer of these products, according to Agriculture Minister of Uruguay Tabare Aguerre

BUENOS-AIRES, February 2. /TASS/. Uruguay’s producers are ready to increase deliveries of soybeans, cheese, rice and mutton to Russia, Agriculture Minister of Uruguay Tabare Aguerre told TASS in an interview on Thursday.

"We are definitely ready to export more soybeans, rice, certain kinds of our cheese and butter, although Russia has already become a main buyer of these products. Producers are certainly ready to deliver mutton too. We have not yet particularly developed this line on the Russian market," Aguerre said.

The year of 2016 was highly successful for deliveries of dairy products and citrus fruits to Russia, the minister said. According to ministry’s data, export of citrus fruits totaled $12.8 mln ($7.5 mln in 2015), dry milk - $13.2 mln ($3.6 mln in 2015), butter - $21.1 mln ($30.3 mln in 2015), and cheese - $15.2 mln ($15.8 mln in 2015).

"Meat supplies were smaller than in 2011-2012, when Russia accounted for nearly 30% of Uruguay’s beef export. Nevertheless, the Russian market remains potentially highly important for our country," Aguerre said. Meat supplies largely depend "on purchasing power and prices on the Russian market and on growth of domestic beef production, which was observed in Russia last year," he added.

Producers from Uruguay do not have to face serious difficulties when entering the Russian market, the minister said. "Phytosanitary services of our countries established good contact, making possible to quickly resolve emerged problems," he added.