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Russia likely to up meat, dairy products import from Paraguay

MOSCOW, August 08, /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor is likely to increase the accredit more Paraguayan companies exporting meat and milk products as well as fruits and vegetables to Russia, the watchdog said in a statement on Friday.

The statement was issued following a meeting on Friday between Rosselkhoznadzor chief Sergei Dankvert and Paraguayan Ambassador to Moscow Ramon Diaz Pereira.

“Russia is interested in supplies of meat, dairy, fruit and vegetable products from Paraguay,” the statement said.

Paraguay’s Veterinary Service pledged to submit with Rosselkhoznadzor in the nearest future a list of meat and dairy supplying companies to be included in the list of accredited companies by Russia, the statement added.

Meat and dairy products import from Latin America seems feasible for Russia after the country announced a set of agricultural sanctions against the West.

In response to Western sanctions, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday to ban for one year the imports of agricultural, raw and food products from the countries, which imposed sanctions against Russia.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced on Thursday that the Russian government imposed a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheeses, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway.

The list of the banned products includes cattle meat (fresh, chilled and refrigerated), pork (fresh, chilled and refrigerated), poultry meat and all poultry edible by-products, salted meat, pickled meat, dried meat, smoked meat, fish and shell fish, clams and other water invertebrates, milk and dairy products, vegetables, edible roots and tuber crops, fruits and nuts, sausage and analogous meat products, meat by-products or blood, as well as products made of them, ready-to-eat products including cheeses and cottage-cheese based on vegetable fats.

The United States and the European Union, as well as Japan introduced a range of sanctions against Russia after Crimea’s merger with the country and over Moscow’s alleged involvement in armed standoff in Ukraine’s southeast.

Moscow repeatedly rejected the threats of broader sanctions saying the language of penalties is counterproductive and will strike back at Western countries.