ANKARA (Sputnik) — The confirmation comes after the Turkish Economy Ministry on Friday denied reports of restrictions on imports of primarily wheat from Russia.
On Thursday, Russia’s National Association of Exporters of Agricultural Products (NAEAP) called on Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev to take measures to restore export of agricultural goods to Turkey. According to the NAEAP, the Turkish authorities have suspended issuance of import licenses for Russian grain cultures and vegetable oil on March 15.
"The importers confirm that Turkey's purchase of wheat, maize and sunflower oil from Russia have been suspended," the official said.
According to the official, the Turkish side, technically, had not introduced any new taxes or formally stopped issuing licenses, but the Turkish Ministry of the Economy established a new procedure for import license application.
According to the trade mission official, now, when registering for a license, a company that wants to apply for a zero tax exemption has to fill in a recently added field, "the country of origin of the goods." The suggested list of countries reportedly does not include Russia, which automatically means its exclusion from states applicable for zero tax exemption.
The official said that the new category was introduced on March 15 and the portal is not accessible to anyone except importers.
The official suggested that this change could be linked to Moscow's remaining restrictions on the import of agricultural products from Turkey.
Representatives of Turkish millers are reportedly meeting representatives from the Turkish Grain Board later on Monday to discuss these changes.
