Taroudant – Russia’s Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachev said on Wednesday that his country may replace imports of vegetables from Turkey with goods from its others economic partners, including Morocco.
As tensions mount between Moscow and Ankara, Morocco is among the countries poised to win shares of the Russian market, after Russia announced on Thursday broad retaliatory measures against Turkey’s economy, following the downing of its fighter jet on Tuesday.
“Import of vegetables, tomatoes in the first place, will be substituted with those from Iran, Morocco, Israel, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan,” Alexander Tkachev said, adding that Turkey supplies more than 360,000 tons, of tomatoes to Russia.
“We can replace citrus imports by supplies from South Africa, Morocco, China, Argentina, Israel, Abkhazia, Georgia,” Tkachev added.
According to the Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper, Russia had recently stopped importing Turkish goods, providing “several excuses.”
In 2014, 70,000 tons of Moroccan tomatoes were exported to Russia, following the European Union-Russia crisis over Ukraine.
Russia is expecting the importation of 250,000 tons of Moroccan citrus in 2015-2016.
These figures could increase, as Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gave his ministers two days to work out “a system of response measures” against Turkey, including “halting joint economic projects, restricting financial and trade transactions and changing customs duties.”
While Russia ruled out any military retaliation against Turkey, these measures aim to punish Turkey’s economy. President Vladimir Putin called on Russians not to travel to Turkey, urging those already there to return home due to “existing terrorist threats”.
Morocco, known for the unique beauty of its landscapes, its rich history, its hospitality and stability, is likely to be an alternative tourist destination for Russian tourists.
