ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — The extension of the ban on agricultural products from Turkey would not affect food prices in Russia, the head of the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Russia extended its food import ban from Turkey zucchinis and pumpkins as Western flower thrips, a major pest insect was found in the supplies. However, Russia's agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor stressed that Moscow was not planning to introduce a full ban on the import of agricultural products from Turkey.
"No…. Everything that could have affected food prices in Russia already did so. Remember, when immediately after the [Western] sanctions and countermeasures [came into force], the prices rose by 200-300 percent, this was due to the loss of supply, but time is running and everything is being substituted," Igor Artemyev told reporters.
Russia's retaliatory measures against Ankara include, in particular, restrictions on the activities of Turkish organizations in Russia, an embargo on Russian employers hiring Turkish citizens and a ban on certain food imports since January 1, 2016.
