Russia plans to extend duty-free imports of beef for 2023, halving quota

MOSCOW. Oct 25 (Interfax) - Duty-free imports of beef to Russia could be extended for the next year, though this measure is not planned for pork, the Agriculture Ministry has posted on its Telegram channel.

According to the message, the decision to extend the zero-duty tariff exemptions for beef was taken at a meeting of the subcommittee on customs-tariff and non-tariff regulation. The measure should ensure a stable price situation on the market and support processors, the ministry believes.

"We do not plan to introduce similar measures regarding pork. Russian producers completely cover the domestic demand for this type of meat, and growth in its production by 6.2% over the first nine months of the year helps maintain stable selling prices," the Agriculture Ministry said.

"The proposed [beef quota] for 2023 is not more than 100,000 tonnes," the Russian Economic Development Ministry told Interfax, citing minutes from the customs-tariff and non-tariff regulation sub-commission's meeting.

Russia instituted a quota on the duty-free import of 200,000 tonnes of beef for all of 2022 and 100,000 tonnes of pork for half of the year on January 1. Imported met is for processing only. The port quota was discontinued on July 1.

Meat market experts estimate Russia imported 50,000 tonnes of beef under the duty-free quota by the middle of September. This included 11,000 tonnes in September.

The overall quota for beef imports into Russia in 2022 is 570,000 tonnes, including 40,000 tonnes of fresh and chilled beef. A duty of 15% applies within the quota and 50% to beef supplied over and above the quota.

Russia had a duty-free pork import quota of 430,000 tonnes until 2020, but this had not been used in recent years. It was scrapped in keeping with WTO terms. A flat duty of 25% is currently in effect.