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Russia extends ban on food imports
俄罗斯拓展粮食进口禁令
The Russian government has extended a ban on food imports for another year. The ban on imports includes cheeses and dairy products, meat, fish, fruit and vegetables from Australia, Canada, the EU, the US and Norway.
Aleksander Konovalov has been running his farm in the Moscow region for almost 6 years…. It started off as a small family business, growing steadily over the years. But since Russia reiterated Western sanctions over Ukraine with a ban on EU and US food, the demand for some of the farm’s dairy products has jumped by 50%.
"There was a huge flow of foodstuffs into Russia from abroad before and then it stopped suddenly. We are gradually replacing it. But it doesn't mean that we will be able to replace the same levels overnight. We need 3-4 years to fully substitute products imported from abroad," he said.
This eco farm processes around 500 litres of milk per day and offers a variety of dairy products, including its own mozzarella cheese . With skyrocketing popularity, the farm is planning to expand business and open its own shops in Moscow.
This means that Russian supermarket shelves will continue stocking up local products. This hasn't gone down well with everyone though… In Moscow in particular, where people have grown accustomed to fresh Italian parmesan and French foir gras.
Despite the ban, many Western products made their way into Russian supermarkets. In a controversial move, Moscow launched an offensive to destroy contraband food. Tons of cheese and jamon were bulldozed over or burnt. The move caused a public outcry. With one in 7 people in Russia living below poverty line, thousands of people are calling for an end to destruction of food and giving it to the poor instead.
