Minister of Agriculture at the negotiations with the American partners will bring attention to the question of reduction of quotas on delivery of fowl. The Head of the Department Aleksey Gordeev informed Vladimir Putin about it on their meeting. Minister declared that out of 1,150 million tons of meat delivered to Russiaannually 800 thousand tons - from America.
"I do not know how much it is reasonable - to hold such volume of preferences in relation to the American partners", - Gordeev explained having added that producers from the USAearned approximately 1 billion dollars per year in Russia.
Gordeev also told that the question on redistribution of quotas is put with other partners of Russia, in particular, Brazil. On August, 8th the Chapter of the Ministry of Economic Development Herman Gref sent the sales representative of the USA Susan Shvab a letter in which he declared that either the USAwould sign the contract about the introduction into WTO within three months or Russiawould withhold preferences to the American manufacturers of meat. On the 18th of August official representatives of Shvab answered that the decrease in quotas would complicate introduction of Russiato WTO.
Our expert Vladimir Filin called readiness of the Chapter of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia Aleksey Gordeev to transfer a part of the American quota on import of fowl to the Russian Federationfrom the USAto Brazil“golden words”. "I am agitating for it for some months already. The American chicken meat is a muck while Brazilian - tasty, qualitative and cheaper. It is necessary to cancel in general country principle at the assignment of quotas on import of meat. Besides it should concern not only chicken meat but also pork and a beef. What for, for example, to give import quotas to EU if there are no goods? I think that we should cancel country principle on all types of meat, plus reduce the quota to 40%. It’ll be just market measure”.
Out another expert Anton Surikov was less categorical: "I entirely support the offer of our Minister Aleksey Vasilevich Gordeev. I would not wish to give a comparative estimation to the American and Brazilian chicken meat now. But I agree that it is necessary to reduce volume of import quota to fowl, at least, on 30%. As a matter of fact it was our proposal which the Association of operators of the Russian market of fowl made in February of this year. Unfortunately, the government didn’t support us then and we had to face an attack having restricted the volume of import of chicken meat on 30% since April. If our decision will be duplicated by the state we’ll be only happy. As to the proposal to cancel within the frames of the total quota volume country principle, then we have been insisting on it for already 3 and a half years. And we are at last heard, we will also be only happy”.
