Counterfeiting of Russian products abroad a major problem for many exporters - REC

MOSCOW. Sept 11 (Interfax) - Russian exporters often face counterfeiting of their products abroad, and the way to combat this phenomenon is by ensuring the guaranteed availability of genuine Russian products in sales channels, Russian Export Center (REC) Vice President Alexei Solodov said.

"A painful issue for us and for many exporters, particularly in China, is counterfeit goods. Large companies face this first and foremost, and not only them," Solodov said at the international conference "Measures to enhance the competitiveness of Russian exporters of agricultural products" in Moscow on Thursday.

"Those who have been to China know perfectly well: there are a large number of so-called Russian-style stores, where all sorts of nonsense is sold under Russian branding, [labeled] with Russian letters, but has nothing to do with Russia," he said.

This is a historical problem that is quite difficult to solve, he said. However, the REC together with Chinese colleagues is working on its resolution even at the intergovernmental level, including by creating mechanisms to guarantee the availability of Russian products in sales points where 100% Russian products are represented, he said.

This will make it possible "to eliminate consumer negativity" and doubt about whether they are buying authentic products or counterfeits, he said.

Solodov called on exporters who face counterfeiting of their products abroad to solve this problem jointly.