Russia has extended until March 31, 2021 the duty-free regime for the supply of Moldovan fruits and vegetables, canned food and wine products to the Russian Federation.
According to Russian media reports, the corresponding decree of the Russian government, signed on December 23, 2020, was posted on the official legal information portal. Previously, the duty, which was zeroed at the beginning of 2019, was renewed every six months. According to the document, the zero duty will continue to apply to the import into Russia from Moldova of products under the EAEU TN VED codes 07, 0808, 0809, 1206 00, 2005 and 2204 (vegetables and some edible roots and tubers, apples, pears, quince, apricots, cherries, etc. cherries, peaches (including nectarines), plums and thorns, sunflower seeds, canned vegetables, natural grape wines, including fortified wines). The government instructed the RF Federal Customs Service to monitor monthly deliveries. The Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture were instructed, if necessary, to make proposals to change the deadline for applying the zero duty by March 15, 2021. Customs duties on the import of fruits and vegetables, wine and other food products from Moldova to the Russian Federation were introduced at the end of August 2014 after Moldova signed an association agreement with the EU on June 27, 2014, which provides for the creation of a free trade zone. Russia, fearing the re-export of European goods, then imposed customs duties on goods from Moldova on 19 export items, including wine, vegetables, meat and canned products. The abolition of duties on the import of a number of categories of agricultural products from Moldova to the Russian Federation was the result of a personal agreement between the former head of the Moldovan state Igor Dodon and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018. Thanks to this privilege, Moldovan producers save from 300 to 500 million lei a year. // 28.12.2020 - InfoMarket.
