Russian officials increased the quota for tomatoes imported from Turkey on Tuesday from 150,000 to 200,000 tons, RIA Novosti reported.
“Approve the permitted volume of import of the product ‘Tomatoes fresh or chilled’ – 200,000 tons,” the Russian Agriculture Ministry said in a decree published on Russia’s official web portal of legal notices.
Since May 2018, Russia has progressively lifted the limit on the number of tomato exports from Turkey, starting at 50,000 tons, and then the last time until now, in the spring of 2019, to 150,000 tons.
In 2015, in the wake of a crisis over a downed jet, Russia limited to fruit and vegetable exports from Turkey, but since 2017, the exports’ value has been climbing.
This week, a prominent Turkish exporters association asked for the removal of the 150.000-ton quota that was initiated by Russia following tensions in the relations between the two countries.
Turkey exported 535.000 tons of tomatoes in return of $304 million. 98.000 tons of these were exported to Russia in return of $86 million. In 2019, tomato exports to Russia increased by 181%.
