Russia Sources Butter from UAE and Turkey to Curb Rising Prices
Moscow begins sourcing butter from the UAE and Turkey to counter rising prices and stabilize domestic supply
Russia Turns to UAE and Turkey for Butter Imports Amid Price Surge
Moscow, Nov 2 – Russia is importing butter from the United Arab Emirates and Turkey in a bid to curb rising prices.
The delivery of butter from the United Arab Emirates began on Oct. 18, Agriculture Superintendent Rosselkhoznadzor said Saturday. “Previously, no butter was supplied to Russia from the UAE,” it said in a statement.
Russia’s Statistics Service reported that the price of a block of butter rose 25.7% since last December. This, compared to an inflation rate of 8.6%, has prompted butter thefts in some supermarkets.
The UAE has so far supplied 90 metric tons of butter to Russia, which began importing butter from Turkey in October.
Russia seeks to increase butter supply to stabilize prices and ensure availability in the domestic market.
Imports of butter from Latin America to Russia fell from 25,000 tonnes in 2014 to 2,800 tonnes this year, Rosselkhoznadzor said, citing Western sanctions as one of the factors behind the drop in supplies.
“The decrease in the volume of butter imports from Latin America to Russia may be related to transport and logistics problems, economic sanctions and the lack of agreements between businesses,” it said.
Belarus, the biggest supplier of butter to Russia, increased its exports this year by 9% to 110,000 tonnes.
