MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. The food market has changed in Russia over the 100 days since the embargo on foodstuffs from the EU, the US, Canada, Australia and Norway.

Imports of meat, fish and milk products, fruits and vegetables stopped in August. The annual cost is estimated at $9.1 billion. The EU sustained biggest losses - around $6.5 billion.

Dairy products

Dairy products import to Russia dropped most of all: the countries, which came under Russian sanctions, accounted for 60% of the market (263,000 tons). Thus, in October the volume of these purchases decreased by 69%, to $48.9 million, against October 2013. The price rise in Russia was from 1.9% for milk to 5.3% for cheese.

Viktoria Berlai, dairy market expert at the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, said the maximum increase of dairy import within replacement of sanctioned countries would be in December: the first goods would come from Latin America.

Meat

Meat import has decreased. Pork purchases have been reduced by 47% to $327 million over the three months (as compared with the same period of 2013). The price rise was from 4% for beef to 9% for chicken. In 2013 Russia consumed 2.3 million tons of beef with the total import of 28%; 3.4 million tons of pork with the total import of 18%; 4.3 million tons of poultry with the total import of 12%

President of the National Meat Association Sergei Yushin said Brazil was the only alternative pork supplier to Russia in August-October 2014.

Fruit and vegetables

Import of vegetables and fruits has decreased by half - to $34 million. In 2013 Russia consumed 15.9 million tons of vegetables with 19% of import; 10.9 million tons of fruits and berries with import of 58% The market reacts differently: for example, potatoes become cheaper by 22% and cucumber prices grew by 55%

Director-general of FruitNews portal Irina Koziy said the rouble fall led to price rises for vegetables and fruits because purchases were mostly made in foreign currencies.

Fish

Fish import have decreased by 28%, to $443 million in August-October. Fish import in volume term increased by 60%, to 339,000 tonnes. Totally, Russia consumes 3.44 million tonnes of fish per year (26% of import). “Given to panic Russian importers brought more than enough inexpensive fish,” Russian Fisheries Union CEO Sergei Gudkov said.

“The logistic through Belarus allowed Russian producers to keep prices down,” he said.