Rosselkhoznadzor not forecasting timelines for start of Russian grain deliveries to China
MOSCOW. Aug 12 (Interfax) - The head the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), Sergei Dankvert is not giving a forecast for a timeline for the start of deliveries of Russian grain to China.
"We can only assume, and have our Chinese colleagues' trust," Dankvert told reporters.
He said the situation with grain exports is much like the situation with resolving the issue of imports into Russia. "They want to export to us, we are considering, and our Chinese colleagues are working in kind," he said.
"Soon, Russian specialists will go to China to settle these issues, which are connected with, for example, organizing grain exports. And at the end of August, Chinese specialists will come and inspect our livestock enterprises [which could then be able to export their products to China]," he said.
Rosselkhoznadzor meets once a month with those who wish to export. "Exports, in principle, are a good issue and it has prospects. But we can open exports today and not actually make deliveries, or not open exports even in five years," he said.
The head of Rosselkhoznadzor also said that last year Russia started deliveries of rapeseed to China. "A few days ago I met with Moshkovich from Rusagro [Vadim Moshkovich, company owner, chairman of the board of directors], they are the first who wanted to export corn from Primorye to China," he said.
China buys quite a lot of corn, and Japan does as well, he said.
"Negotiations about removing barriers for deliveries of Russian grain to China have been going on since the end of the 1990's. These barriers are due to, as the previous president of the grain union, Arkady Zlochevsky said, "Russian grain does not meet Chinese quality control, they find quarantined objects in it."
But chances for exports have come up lately, he said. China is a large market, especially for Siberian grain.