Quotas for duty-free import of potatoes, carrots, apples remain unused - Russia's Agriculture Ministry data

MOSCOW. July 30 (Interfax) - Russian importers of fruit and vegetables have not fully utilized the tariff quotas to import potatoes, carrots, and apples duty free, the Agriculture Ministry said, with the quotas expiring on July 31.

Importers have been most interested in foreign potatoes and least interested in apples.

Agriculture Ministry documents indicate that the remaining quota for apples was 221,328 tonnes as on July 30 from the overall quota of 230,000 tonnes, meaning that only 3.8% of the quota has been utilized. The remaining quota for carrots is 43,737 tonnes out of 55,000 tonnes, with one-fifth having been utilized.

The quota to import potatoes was initially set at 150,000 tonnes, and then increased to 300,000 tonnes. The remainder is 151,288 tonnes, meaning importers have selected just over half.

As reported, the government introduced the quotas on January 1, 2025, owing to rising prices for fruit and vegetables in Russia at the end of last year.