The Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) had issued a public statement saying that the country had obtained the required rights to export beef to China, Lenta.ru reported on Friday.
According to the watchdog, deliveries were likely to begin as early as over the past weekend, the report said.
Aside from that, the Russian agency that oversees exports of animal derivatives or products had also added that the Chinese Government of President Xi Jinping had authorized two Russian enterprises for supplying beef meat into the pork-loving nation’s market, Lenta.ru wrote.
Beijing’s latest decision comes months after Chinese officials opened up the country’s market for exports of Russian poultry meat. A spokeswoman for Rosselkhoznadzor, Yulia Melano, was quoted saying late on Friday that Beijing had chosen the Bryansk Meat Company, owned by agricultural powerhouse Miratorg, alongside another producer of marbled beef in Russia, GK Zarechnoye, to import beef into the world’s second-largest economy amid an 18-month-long U.S.-China trade war over tariffs.
Russia’s agriculture ministry said in September it hoped that – after years of talks with Moscow – China would open its market for Russian beef and pork within 12 months.
The deal on beef was reached days after Russia’s watchdog issued a warning that it could temporarily limit supplies of some types of fodder and fish from China. Russia is still in talks with China about pork supplies.
