Russian imports ban affects Romanian fruit and vegetable producers

Romanian fruits and vegetables producers were affected by the Russian Federation’s recent decision to ban the import of food from Europe. The producers’ revenues were down by a third in just one month after the ban was imposed, according to Capital.ro. This happened as the local market has been bombed with products which were initially destined for the Russian market, which lowered domestic sales of local producers. Imported products are up to 50% cheaper than local products. Romanian producers also exported less during this period. For fruits, most affected were apple producers, and for vegetables, farmers who cultivate onions. Romanian farmers have asked the European Commission for EUR 300 mln to cover the damages resulting from the Russian ban. However, Romania will only receive some EUR 10 million out of the EU’s EUR 442 mln budget to compensate farmers in this situation. editor@romania-insider.com