March 8, 2007

Russia seeks meat imports from Latin America
 

Russia is seeking alternative agricultural supplies, particularly meat ones, from Latin America, the head of Russia's agricultural watchdog Sergei Dankvert said on Wednesday, March 7.

Dankvert, who is the head of Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight, said the country is considering to source meat from Uruguay and Paraguay.

He said Russia started looking for alternative markets, as a result of which its trade with Argentina increased substantially, to US$1.11 billion in 2006 (up 60.4 percent from 2005). The increase primarily came from beef supplies.

Dankvert said Russia has become the largest importer of agricultural produce from Argentina adding Buenos Aires could lift antidumping restrictions on Russian metal deliveries to Argentina and open up its market to Russian energy companies to correct the trade imbalance.

Dankvert, who is also Russian co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Russian-Argentinean Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, said the decision on meat imports could be made next month.