Sergey Dankvert: Vietnam and Thailand Eager to Begin Egg Exports to Russia

Vietnam, Thailand, and Iran are eager to initiate table egg exports to Russia. The competent authorities have forwarded inquiries for shipments, Sergey Dankvert, the head of the Rosselkhoznadzor, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta in an interview.

“To date, Russia has imported approximately 400 million eggs, with 330 million being sourced from Belarus and the remaining purchased from Azerbaijan and Turkey. Additionally, we have received inquiries for shipments from Iran, Vietnam, Thailand,” stated the Head of the Service.

The measures to expand Russian egg imports were initiated in the fall of 2023, following a sharp rise in local prices for these products. Shipments from Azerbaijan commenced in the second half of December 2023, while Turkey began its supplies under tariff preference from the beginning of January 2024. In early June, Iran’s supply plans were disclosed.

According to Sergey Dankvert, as of April 10, Russia has authorized the import of agricultural products from Gagauzia — an autonomous territorial entity within Moldova. It is highly probable that these products, which include apples, strawberries, cherries, and raspberries, are already available on the Russian market.

However, the ban on the import of Japanese fish, imposed following the release of water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant (resulting from the accident that took place in 2011), has not been lifted.  

“Importing Japanese fish doesn’t rank high on our list of priorities, far from it. Our domestic fishery production and export capabilities are substantial enough so that the idea of importing fish from Japan feels unnatural to discuss. Moreover, the lack of communication from Japanese authorities, resulting from the one-sided narratives from their politicians, has closed the doors on any potential for productive cooperation. It’s up to them anyway,” said Sergey Dankvert.