As EastFruit analysts report, following Kazakhstan, which banned the exports of apples from the country, Belarus has also introduced a similar ban recently. The ban also includes exports to Russia. In addition to apples, onions and white cabbage are also restricted from exports. It seems that the so-called “Eurasian Customs Union” continues to fall apart, and Russia continues to lose opportunities to combat rising inflation.
It should be noted that this ban on exports from Belarus closes the last loophole for re-exporting affordable apples from EU countries, in particular from Poland, to the Russian market. And this is happening at a very unfortunate time for Russia, when the fight of the country’s central bank against inflation is not yielding any results, and prices for vegetables and fruits continue to break records.
Moreover, in 2024, Russia lost a significant part of its own apple harvest due to spring frosts. Therefore, Russian consumers are already forced to pay a record price for these fruits, and with the blocking of opportunities for shadow imports through Belarus and Kazakhstan, the price growth will only accelerate.
After all, now the closest possible suppliers of apples are Iran, China and Turkey. At the same time, both Iran and Turkey have long preferred to export their apples to the Middle East and India, where they can get a higher price for the product.
Read also: No cheap apples in new season – production declines in EU, Ukraine, Moldova, and beyond
By the way, this ban also has a negative impact on Poland, which continues to depend to a large extent on apple supplies to the market of the aggressor country. True, this season, Polish farmers also lost a significant part of the harvest due to frosts, and also have the opportunity to sell apples, which usually went to the Russian market, for processing at a relatively good price. Of course, this is far from being as profitable as exports to Russia, but still represents a certain way out of the situation.
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