Russia, China sign protocol on phytosanitary requirements for Russian millet

BEIJING. May 24 (Interfax) - Russia and China signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements for millet exported from Russia to China after a meeting between Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Premier Li Qiang attended by the countries' delegations.

The protocol on requirements for millet will be in effect between Russian plant and animal health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor and China's General Administration of Customs (GACC).

These agencies also signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements for medicinal plant products for Chinese medicine exported from Russia.

Rosselkhoznadzor deputy head Anton Karmazin said earlier that Russia could get access to the Chinese millet market thanks to the signed protocol. He recalled that the Chinese market is currently open to Russian spring wheat, spring barley, buckwheat, oats, flakes, sunflower seeds, flax, peas and other products. Niche crops have strong prospects, he added.

He said Rosselkhoznadzor's Cerberus system, which maintains a registry of exporters, has about 20,000 businesses registered for working on the Chinese market, of which about 7,000 work with grain products, including producers, elevators and exporters.

Karmazin also told Interfax that the issue of exporting Russian winter wheat to China is still on the table. "On our part the service and Agriculture Ministry are holding fairly constructive negotiations on granting access specifically to winter wheat and I think that there are good prospects," he said, adding that his Chinese colleagues are "very difficult" in negotiations.