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Anti-Russian Sanctions Hurt French Agro Business, Farmers Go on Strike

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Russian embargo on EU food imports has had tragic consequences on the French agricultural business, Nadine Morano, former French Minister and current member of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party, told French Sud Radio in an interview.

The French government is the main culprit and should be held accountable for the destruction of the country's agricultural sector, Morano said.

President Francois Hollande's senseless policies towards Russia caused the crisis, Morano said. Russia banned the import of meat, fish, diary, fruit and vegetables from the European Union (EU) last summer in response to European economic sanctions imposed on Russia earlier over its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

"Due to the Russian food embargo, the EU has already lost €21 billion since the beginning of the embargo, and could lose up to €81 billion over time. For the French agricultural sector, the food embargo has been dramatic, and we can all see the direct effects of the government's international policy," Morano told Sud Radio.

Flags of Russia, EU, France - Sputnik International
French Farmers Risk Losses From Russian Food Embargo
In 2013, before the EU and Russia put sanctions against each other, French agricultural exports to Russian amounted to €619 million.

On Monday, French farmers started a mass protest and blocked a highway near the city of Caen in northern part of the country. Farmers demand the government to increase purchasing prices for their products and provide them with financial aid, so agricultural businesses could stay afloat.

While Hollande's absurd policies towards Russia are hurting French farmers, Russia is currently working towards an import-substitution program that would replace at least 90 percent of all Russia's food imports with domestic products within the next 2-3 year, the country's Agricultural Minister Alexander Tkachev said.

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