MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. Lack of meaningful approach of Turkey towards access of Russian agricultural produce will not facilitate resolution of the problem with Turkish tomatoes’ access to the Russian market, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said on Tuesday on the air with Rossiya 24 TV Channel.
"We regard as possible deliveries of Turkish tomatoes to the Russian market amounting to about 50,000 tonnes in coming 4-5 months, from December to April, when we are off season and tomatoes are not enough on the market. This is possible. We identified four companies known to us, which we can be monitored, and which can make supplies. Turkish colleagues do not object to such an approach at this stage. We will look at restrictions existing on the Turkish market for our agricultural products and our exporters. If the approach towards our goods is insufficiently meaningful, this will not contribute to making the decision on an authorization for Turkish tomatoes," Dvorkovich said.
Russia is positive in respect of searching for a mutually acceptable variant of solving the problem with restricted supplies of Turkish tomatoes to Russia, he added.
Turkey imposed additional requirements to import of agricultural products from Russia on October 9. Exporters of unrefined sunflower oil, corn, dry peas, unshelled rice, sunflower oil cake and durum wheat will now be obliged to make additional certification of VAT invoices.
Russia restricted deliveries of agricultural products from Turkey since January 1, 2016. Almost all restrictions have been lifted to date but the ban on tomatoes import is still kept. Deliveries of Turkish tomatoes to Russia are expected to start late in 2017, Russian Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachev said earlier in October.