MOSCOW/ISTANBUL, (Reuters) – Turkey and Latin American countries such as Brazil look likely to emerge as key winners from Russia’s decision to ban most European Union and U.S. food imports in retaliation for Western sanctions over Moscow’s role in Ukraine.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced the one-year ban on Thursday on all meat, fish, dairy, fruit and vegetables from the United States, the EU’s 28 member states, non-EU member Norway – a major exporter of salmon – Canada and Australia.
Russia has become the world’s biggest consumer of EU fruit and vegetables by far, the second biggest buyer of U.S. poultry and a major global consumer of fish, meat and dairy products, so the ban opens up big opportunities for other countries.
Russia’s Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) said on Friday it was holding meetings with food importers to discuss supplies from the new markets.
“We are having a meeting today with Turkey, which expressed willingness to increase supplies of vegetables and fruit,” a spokeswoman Yulya Trofimova said.
