Many Russians rushed to buy sugar, buckwheat and salt, as sanctions weakened the ruble and sent food prices higher in late February-March.
The country’s agriculture minister, Dmitry Petrushev, said on Wednesday that Russia is looking for suppliers of packaging for baby food and dairy products due to supply disruptions caused by Western sanctions imposed on Moscow.
Russia is a major global agricultural producer but Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis have caused supply disruptions and prompted some foreign suppliers to leave the market.
“For dairy products and baby food, I would like to note the following: To maintain sustainability in this segment due to restrictions on import of packaging and multiple ingredients for baby food production, we are working with the business community And the Ministry of Trade to find opportunities to replace foreign suppliers of packaging, ”Patrushev said at a government meeting.
Patrushev also said that the Agriculture Ministry had proposed that the government should establish export quotas for sunflower oil to “maintain the stability of the situation”.
Ukraine and Russia are the largest producers of sunflower oil in the world. India imports over 90 per cent of its sunflower oil, although sunflower oil accounts for 14 per cent of the total edible oil imports.
Many Russians have rushed to buy sugar, buckwheat and salt as sanctions weakened the ruble and sent food prices higher in late February-March.
Officials have repeatedly told people that there is no need to hoard food products.
“Russia is completely self-sufficient in staple foods. There are enough stocks in warehouses and distribution centers, which are constantly replenished, ”said Patrushev.
“In general, the Russian agricultural industry is facing a significantly increased demand for food products,” he said.
