MOSCOW, September 24. /ITAR-TASS/. Beijing is ready to fully cover Moscow’s demand for fruits, vegetables and pickled products, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing the director of the Department of Commerce of China's Shandong Province.
Chinese entrepreneurs are interested in purchasing Russian grain, rapeseed and honey, Zhang Qingwei told the newspaper. The Chinese province is ready to supply carrots, ginger, garlic, pepper, peas, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers and broccoli, as well as peaches, pears, grapefruits and watermelons, the report said.
Shandong, home to 94 million people, is one of the most developed agricultural regions in China, which can be compared to Russia’s Kuban and Rostov Regions. Most of its residents are involved in agriculture.
A government source told the Izvestia newspaper that in October Russia and China are expected to hold a next round of negotiations on the mutually beneficial trade in food and organic agricultural products.
A delegation from China's Shandong Province is holding meetings with the representatives of Russian agricultural associations to learn about the demands in the supplies and substitution of the imported goods from Europe. The Russian-Chinese trade turnover in the agricultural sector is currently estimated at around $20 billion.
Russia’s agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor has confirmed that the sides are discussing the supplies of agricultural goods. Spokesman Alexey Alexeyenko said China is also interested in creating agricultural enterprises in Russia.
In early August, Russia, in retaliation to Western sanctions, introduced a one-year ban on the imports of certain food products from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway. The Federal Customs Service said last year the imports from these four countries and the EU were estimated at $9.1 billion.