Serbia - a new channel of falsification?
The division of cheese into a real cheese and cheese-like product is a sore point for the market. While the fighters for justice stand for the order in the respective technical regulation, the enemy comes from the other side. Cheese scandal around Serbia: what is actually imported into the Russian market and how to stop the flow of protein-fat products – in the material of The DairyNews.
Since the markets of the EAEU member states are closely interrelated, the Republic of Belarus closed the supply of cheese-like products to its territory and transit of this category of goods through the country in early 2018.Only in the first quarter of the year there was detained the import of 3.5 thousand tons of cheese-like products. The adoption of such a measure was dictated by the need to combat smuggling. Earlier in April 2018, the Rosselkhoznadzor announced the supplies of cheese-like products by the Belarusian enterprise to false addresses in the Russian Federation. According to the Rosselkhoznadzor with reference to the data of the Chief Veterinary Department of Moscow region, as a result of the inspection of the places of receipt of protein-fat concentrate produced by the Belarusian producer LLC "Poket-Pak", it was found that the specified products at the addresses mentioned in the shipping documents were not received.
Belarus closed the market, but meanwhile Serbia was caught by the Rosselkhoznadzor because of re-export of “cheese-like products". Earlier, inter-state relations developed according to a stable scenario: in 2018, the volume of trade turnover of agricultural products amounted to 360 million dollars, which corresponds to the level of the previous year. As Minister of agriculture Dmitry Patrushev noted in October, at the same time the volume of exports of agricultural products from Russia to Serbia increased by 20% and reached 60 million dollars.
– This is a significant dynamics, and we hope that the volume of supplies of Russian companies will increase in the future, also through grain, meat, fish and dairy products, - said Dmitry Patrushev.
Serbia has not remained aside: the intention to increase the volume of supplied products became known in November – this was stated by the first Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of foreign affairs of Serbia Ivica Dacic. According to him, Belgrade expects an increase in the total trade turnover between Serbia and Russia to $4 billion.
As we wrote earlier, the volume of imports from Serbia in recent years has grown at a faster pace: thus, after the embargo, the corresponding figure increased by 87%. At the same time, the total volume of imports of dairy products from Serbia in 2017 amounted to 56 thousand tons of dairy products and cheese products in the amount of $35.9 million.
According to statistics, in 2014 the supply of processed cheese from Serbia to Russia amounted to about 7 tons. At the same time, deliveries to Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were not carried out until 2017.
As for hard and semi-hard cheeses, in 2014 the volume of supply to Russia amounted to 1 042 703 kg, to Kazakhstan – 68 956 kg, to Belarus – 61 272 kg. In 2015 Serbia exported cheese to Russia (1 304 194 kg) and Belarus (34 200 kg). In 2016 there was a reduction in exports, the Russian Federation imported into its territory 909 856 kg, Belarus – 32 256 kg. According to data of last year, exports to Russia shows positive dynamics – 938 196 kg, delivery to Belarus was reduced to 17 784 kg.
CN FEA 0406 30 310, the supply of processed cheese
CN FEA 04.06 90, deliveries of hard and semi-hard cheeses from Serbia to the EAEU
Supply of protein-fat product
In addition, there is a sharp increase in exports of "other" dairy products (protein-fat products): from 2635 kg in 2014, the volume of supplies increased to 139,985 kg in 2015, 1 105,249 kg in 2016. In 2017 the figure almost doubled during the year and reached the value of 2 111 449 kg.
On the one hand, this arrangement at first glance is not as bad as it may seem. After sanctions and other restrictive measures, the domestic market has moved to a decisive defense and policy of import substitution, so the appearance of a new quality product on the dairy shelf can hardly be called a serious threat. On the contrary - the wider the range is, the more capricious the buyer is and manufacturers are more actively involved in the struggle for attention of the buyer. But does Serbia really import a natural product of its own manufacturer into our country?
The fact that the wolf is hiding under the sheep's clothing was mentioned in the Rosselkhoznadzor. The illegal scheme of delivery of protein-fat (cheese-like) product of Ukrainian origin to Russia from Serbia was revealed in November last year and then the Russian Agency presented the following data in its press release: from January to July 2018, 3.82 thousand tons of these products were imported to Russia by the Serbian company Sremska Mlekara Doo. http://www.dairynews.ru/news/rosselkhoznadzor-zapodozril-serbiyu-v-reeksporte-t.html
"Serbia was declared as the country of origin of this product in the Customs Declaration, manufacturer and sender – Sremska Mlekara Doo Sremska Mitrovica. At the same time, according to the information available to the Rosselkhoznadzor, protein-fat product was exported from Ukraine to Serbia in the same period of time. At the same time, the address of the product recipient coincides with the address of the Serbian company Sremska Mlekara Doo Sremska Mitrovica", the report said.
However, the Serbian party does not accept the accusations. As it is mentioned in the message of the Ministry of agriculture, forest and water resources of Serbia, the documentation for Ukrainian goods was completely falsified.
In case of confirmation of the illegal scheme of supply of sanctions products from Serbia, the Rosselkhoznadzor will take appropriate measures. In order to prevent the import of prohibited products to Russia, the Rosselkhoznadzor sent relevant requests to the veterinary service of Serbia, as well as to the Federal customs service of Russia for verification of this fact.
The main danger, according to the Rosselkhoznadzor, is that getting into the Russian Federation, cheese-like product is sold on the shelves as natural cheese.
As it became known toThe DairyNews, Serbia plans to increase the supply of cheese category to Russia. Moreover, Russia is ready to make a number of concessions on commodity items in the cheese group. The head of the Chief Department of foreign economic activity of the Ministry of agriculture and food of Belarus Alexey Bogdanov noted that such a development of events clearly poses a threat to the general market, including the risk of cheaper goods. Besides, as we remember, Belarus is actively working to protect the general market from re-export of fake cheese.
The leading analyst of the Russian Dairy Research Center Ekaterina Zakharova believes that after the embargo imposed in 2014, the volume of supplies of dairy products, including cheese and cheese products from Serbia to Russia, has increased significantly.
- The situation with the embargo has created favorable conditions for the supply of dairy products to Russia, but what represent such dairy products – another question. It's hard to speak without proof about how fair accusations of Serbia of the re-export are in general. The question of further development of the situation should be addressed to the relevant services that are engaged in the control and verification of imported products, – commented Ekaterina Zakharova.
The analyst added that talking in general, the share that is allocated to the supply of dairy products from Serbia is small, and the absolute monopolist of supplies is Belarus.
- The following fact is surprising: Serbia has imported products to our country since 2014, but violations were discovered only in 2018. Deliveries from Ukraine also stopped some time ago. Why has the scandal broken out only now? Perhaps, it is somehow connected with negotiations on creation of free trade zones, – the expert concluded.
Against the general background the news of the recent award of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic seems to be interesting: President of Russia Vladimir Putin signed a decree awarding the President of Serbia with the order of Alexander Nevsky, says the website of the Kremlin.
According to the surveyed market participants, today any concessions from Russia are preparing negative consequences for the EAEU market. First of all, the producers of natural cheeses will feel them. Against the background of the fight against falsification, such a step seems at least strange and confirms the politicization of Russia's foreign trade.
Цитаты дня
