ANKARA - Russia lifted the ban on 109 out of 136 Turkish produces as of June 27th, Turkish Agriculture & Rural Affairs Ministry said on Monday.
An 'in-service training' regarding the issue was given to relevant experts and inspectors in the ministry. Making opening remarks of the training, Protection & Control Director General Nihat Pakdil said, ''Russia lifted the ban on 109 Turkish produces as of today.''
Stating that the remaining 27 produces would also be exported to Russia, Pakdil stressed that Turkish and Russian experts would work together on certification procedures on the remaining products, for a while.
Russia had decided to ban imports of fruits & vegetables from Turkey as of end-May due to presence of fruit fly larvae on fresh fruits imported from Turkey in November 2004.
Agriculture & Rural Affairs Minister Mehmet Mehdi Eker paid a visit to Russia last week to discuss the matter. After his talks in this country, Eker told reporters on June 25th, ''Russia will lift the ban on 109 out of 136 Turkish products as of June 27th. Twenty-seven Russian experts will come to Turkey on June 29th to hold talks on the ban on the remaining 27 produces. Russia is an important market for us. Our annual exports of agricultural produces to Russia are worth about 250 million USD. We successfully resolved the problem with Russia.''