Putin wants to be less dependent on imports
Russia has extended its embargo on food from dozens of countries by a decree by President Vladimir Putin by one year until December 31, 2021. The import ban imposed for the first time in August 2014 on dairy products, meat, fruit and vegetables from the EU was a reaction to the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine. It is about the protection of national interests, according to the decree published in Moscow on Saturday.
The embargo should not only be a revenge for the sanctions imposed by the West. Russia used the situation primarily to renew its own production – for example in the dairy industry – in order to be less dependent on imports. The embargo affects many countries that have imposed “anti-Russian sanctions”, including the USA, Australia, Canada and Ukraine.
Because many embargoed goods such as cheese from France and Italy continue to come onto the market via detours and smuggling, Russia has already had tons of food destroyed. There is also criticism that the elimination of foreign competition has raised the prices of Russian food for consumers in the gigantic empire. In addition, customers sometimes complain of poorer quality than Western food.
The politicians in Moscow nevertheless rate the embargo as a great success because it has succeeded in improving self-sufficiency in Russia. The country's position as an exporter of agricultural products is also seen as strengthened. So Russia recently celebrated itself as the world's largest exporter of wheat – well ahead of the USA.
Manufacturers in the EU have long since opened up other markets in the USA and China. Putin had said several times that he would lift the counter-sanctions as soon as the EU ended its punitive measures against Russia. But that's not in sight.
