Page 60 - RusRPTOct23

● Products
Russia and Turkey have reached an agreement on the supply of onemn tonnes of grain at a meeting in Sochi in September, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said. "All agreements in principle have been reached. We expect that in the near future we will already enter into working contacts with all parties to work out all technical aspects of the scheme of such supplies," the diplomat said. The parties still have to consider issues regarding logistics, finances, routes, destination countries and quantities, Grushko added.
Poland, Hungary and Slovakia continue to push to extend a ban on grain imports from Ukraine until the end of the year, warning of disruptions in their own domestic markets, according to people familiar with the matter. These three states, as well as Bulgaria and Romania, only allow the transit of Ukrainian grain through their territories under an agreement that expires on September 15. Finding a solution is becoming more urgent as the deadline nears. Janusz Wojciechowski, European commissioner for agriculture, wants the ban prolonged until year-end while also offering subsidies to Ukrainian companies to support the cost of the grain transit.
China has lifted restrictions on supplies of pork from Russia, which were in force since 2008, the press service of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance told reporters on September 28. "The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China has authorized the supply of pork from Russia. The decision was made based on the results of a risk assessment and analysis of the state control system for African swine fever (ASF) in Russia. Restrictions on the import of pork from Russia established by <...> an announcement from 2008, are no longer applied," the statement says.Inspection and quarantine requirements for Russian pork exported to China will be formulated separately by the State Customs Institution of the People's Republic of China, the Russian regulator noted. The Russian veterinary watchdog has been carrying out large-scale work for 10 years to ensure the admission of pork to the Chinese market.
5.2.2 Current account dynamics
The overall current account surplus has fallen in line with goods trade dynamics, significantly constraining FX inflows.
In Q2 2023, it reached only $8.3 billion—a decline of 89% from its peak in 2022 and further drop from Q1 2023.
Monthly numbers indicate a further decline in Q3 with the current account in deficit in July for the first time since 2020.
In our updated forecast, oil and gas exports will reach $213 billion in 2023 (+15
60 RUSSIA Country Report October 2023 www.intellinews.com