HELSINKI, August 18. /ITAR-TASS/. The European Union may also consider possible support for dairy producers if necessary, STT Finnish News Agency quotes the Finnish prime minister as saying after the European Commission provided financial aid to help fruit and vegetable producers hit by Russia’s ban on most Western food imports

It is clear that help first of all concerned products that are rapidly decaying now, Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said on Monday.

The European Commission on Monday allocated 125 million euros to help fruit and vegetable producers hit by Russia’s ban, its press service reports on Monday.

The money would be used to compensate for the removal of some fruit and vegetables from the European market to avoid the sagging of prices, Roger White from the European Commission said.

The European Commission has not officially assessed the amount of damage from the Russian ban, but experts estimate it will be more than seven billion euros.

According to Roger White, the allocated funds will cover half of the cost of the products’ removal from the market first of all for their free distribution.

Producers of tomatoes, carrots, cabbage and cauliflower, sweet pepper, cucumbers, mushrooms, apples and pears, table grape and kiwi could be entitled to compensations, Roger White said. Their harvest time is in full swing at the moment, but there is no possibility for long-term storage or options for selling them on alternative markets, he explained.

Apart from buying out products for free distribution among orphanages and charitable institutions, the European Commission says they could be sold for the production of spirits, coloring agents, etc.

The European Commission has also pledged to closely monitor the situation on the market, taking additional measures if necessary.