CHISINAU, November 2. /TASS/. Moldovan President Igor Dodon has expressed satisfaction with the growing exports of fruit and vegetables to Russia following his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
"Following the agreements I made with my Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the traditional Moldavan exports to the Russian market have significantly increased in the past ten months," Dodon wrote on Facebook. "Exports have been growing in most categories, including fruit, vegetables and vine," he added.
He also pointed out that in the January to October period of 2017, 187,300 tonnes of apples were supplied to Russia, which was a record amount ever exported from Moldova since independence. The country’s president also emphasized a considerable growth in the exports of table grapes, plums, apricots and peaches. "Vegetable exports have grown by ten times to about 9,000 tonnes, while only a little more than 700 tonnes were supplied to the European Union," Dodon noted.
In 2014, trade between the two countries was affected by the Moldavan government’s signing of the Association Agreement with the EU and the establishment of a free trade zone with the EU, while Russia, for fear of the re-export of the EU-made goods, imposed duties on the Moldavan goods. Moreover, due to the goods’ incompatibility with the Russian safety regulations, Moscow also banned the import of fruit and vegetables from the country. However, starting from 2016, Russian veterinary and phytosanitary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor began to gradually ease restrictions, so now Russian experts monitor the supply of goods from Moldavan exporters who are obliged to have agreements signed with Russian companies.
The Moldavan president said earlier that because of the establishment of a free trade zone with the EU, Chisinau had lost its position on the Russian market, while the EU had failed to replace Russia as a trade partner.