The ministry states that Latvia is one of the member states through which considerable imports of agricultural and food products of Russian origin reach the EU, including agricultural and food products imported from Russia through Latvia in 2023 worth 355 million euros, followed by the Netherlands, which imported agricultural and food products food products worth 322 million euros, Spain – worth 321 million euros, Germany – worth 303 million euros, Italy – worth 288 million euros and Poland – worth 276 million euros.
The six largest importers in the EU – Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy and Poland – in 2023 imported agricultural and food products from Russia in the amount of EUR 1.9 billion, or 68% of the total EU imports from Russia, according to the report.
The Ministry states that last year 90% of Latvia’s import value from Russia was made up of four product groups. Among them, 45% were food industry residues, mainly sunflower seed meal, beet pulp for animal feed, rapeseed meal, soybean meal and other products, 25% were grains, mainly corn, rye and wheat, and another 13% were vegetables and 7% – fats and oils.
Through Latvia last year, fish production was imported into Europe in the amount of 2.1 million euros, which is 0.2% of the total EU indicator in this group of food products. At the same time, 30% of Russian food industry waste and ready-made fodder, 20% of grain, and 15% of vegetables entered the EU through Latvia last year.
The informative report states that according to the data of the Customs Administration of the State Revenue Service (SRS), 2,586,430 tons of grain and rapeseed were imported from Russia in 2023 to Latvia. According to SRS data, the import of grain and rape last year, compared to the time before Russia started full-scale hostilities in Ukraine, increased 4.1 times – from 104,000 tons in 2021 to 423,000 tons in 2023.
Also, according to SRS data, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has concluded that not only the amount of grain imported from the aggressor country increased in Latvia last year, but also the amount of transit services. In 2023, grain and rapeseed transit in Latvia from Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus amounted to 2.3 million tons, which is 129% more than in 2022.
The Ministry of Interior also states that according to “Eurostat” data, the total export of EU agricultural and food products to Russia in 2023 was 6.28 billion euros, while production from Latvia to Russia was worth 990 million euros. In general, the production of Latvian origin in Russia was exported in January-November last year in the amount of 1.5% of the total EU indicator.
The Ministry explains that agricultural and food products of Italy, France, Spain, Ireland and other EU and third countries are exported to Russia in large quantities through Latvia. In total, products from 63 different countries of the world are exported from Latvia to Russia.
The analysis carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture on the most affected agricultural sectors in Latvia shows that the total economic losses of the agricultural sector in 2023, which were determined by the interaction of several economic factors, especially the impact of the war in Ukraine caused by Russia on production resources, product prices, and climatic conditions, amounted to 412.32 million euro.
The biggest losses in monetary terms were for dairy farming and grain farming, EUR 129.25 million and EUR 106.43 million, respectively, followed by grazing livestock (EUR 84.94 million), fodder crops (EUR 56.51 million), rapeseed (20, 53 million euros), fruit and berry (11.82 million euros) and potato (2.84 million euros) growing sector.
The Ministry of Health report also states that in 2023, the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) checked 2.14 million tons of food products from Russia at border control points, of which 40% were intended for food consumption and 60% for animal feed. According to the initial data, 98.6% or 2.11 million tons of these products are intended for Latvia as the recipient country.
At the same time, in 2023 PVD carried out 9,630 controls of the four most frequently imported product groups from Russia, as a result of which 39 shipments or 6,582 tons of shipments were rejected.
The informative report states that about 98% of shipments are brought in by rail and 2% by road transport. When the product is transported by rail, its accompanying documents often indicate that the shipment is to be further exported by water transport to another EU member state, most often – to Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, even though a Latvian company is specified as the recipient, such as a port terminal.
The Ministry of the Interior emphasizes that more than half of all cargoes of grain and other agricultural products transhipped in the big ports of Latvia are of Russian origin. Last year, 3.73 million tons of grain and other agricultural products of Russian origin, or 52.5% of all transshipped loads of grain and other agricultural products, were delivered to the port stations of the big port by rail.
18 companies deal with the transshipment of cargoes of grain and other agricultural products of Russian origin in the big ports of Latvia, according to the Ministry of Interior. Among them, 250,000 tons of grain and other agricultural products of Russian origin were delivered to the Ventspils port station by rail last year, making up 62.9% of all loads of grain and other agricultural products transhipped in the port.
Last year, 1.03 million tons of grain and other agricultural products of Russian origin were delivered to Riga port stations by rail, making up 31.7% of all cargoes of grain and other agricultural products transhipped in the port, while Liepāja port station received 2.45 million tons in 2023 Grain and other agricultural products of Russian origin, making up 71% of all cargoes of grain and other agricultural products transhipped at the port.
In the informative report, the Ministry of the Interior has included several measures that should be taken on a national scale in order to reduce the import of products from Russia and Belarus in Latvia and to inform the public about the origin of food products.
Among other things, the Ministry of the Interior proposes to implement the labeling of food products with the indication of the relevant country of production at the points of sale, as well as to promote and plan the infrastructure necessary for Latvian producers for the export of grain, which the Ministry of Transport should also work on.
Also, the Ministry of the Interior proposes to exclude agricultural and food products originating from Russia or Belarus or produced in these countries from state and local government procurement.
2024-03-05 17:49:55
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