Ukraine to revise special duty on rose imports

MOSCOW. April 24 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade has initiated revising special measures on exports and imports of fresh cut roses to Ukraine, regardless of the country of origin, due to the expiration of their terms, Ukrainian media reported citing the commission's decision.

The decision was made on April 12 and took effect on April 17. It was published in the Uryadovy Kuryer newspaper

According to the decision, Ascania-Flora LLC proposed extending the special duty on imports of roses to Ukraine, which was introduced three years ago. The duty amounted to 56% in the first year, 44.8% in the second and 35.84% in the third.

The Ukrainian Economy Ministry studied the request and decided that the application of special measures had a positive impact on the domestic producer's activity, but did not fully address the effects of damage caused to it.

The Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade concluded that the Ascania-Flora's request contained enough information to show that the domestic producer was adapting to the competitive environment.

Thus, the commission decided to revise special measures on imports of fresh roses to Ukraine and their exports and instructed the Economy Ministry to do so.

It was reported earlier that the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade made a decision introducing the special duty on imports of roses on April 16, 2021. The Uryadovy Kuryer newspaper published the decision on April 21, 2021. The decision took effect 30 days after the publication.

According to the Ukrainian State Statistics Committee, imports of fresh cut roses to Ukraine reached 470,080 pieces, or 20.6 tonnes, in January-February. The main supplier is Ethiopia with 392,430 pieces. Other suppliers include Kenya, Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Colombia.

Ukraine exported 72,650 roses to Lithuania and Moldova in January-February.