Tie levying grain export duties to internal price rises, econ ministry suggests
MOSCOW. Oct 26 (Interfax) - The view at Russia's Economic Development Ministry is that an export duty on grain ought to be imposed if there is sufficient price growth in the country, Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Klepach said at a Tuesday briefing in Moscow.
Keeping a running tally of grain export volume is rather difficult, Klepach said, so it would be advisable to "introduce an export duty if the domestic price for grain starts to rise substantially."
The domestic grain market will remain in balance if export volume is within 22-25 million tonnes, he said. "We expect grain prices to grow on the domestic market, but not considerably," he said.
Klepach did not rule out that a grain duty "also might not need to be introduced." His ministry, he said, has submitted to the government its own calculations and proposals as to the size of a floating duty on grain that depends on world market prices.