Rússia — Carne Suína

static: During 2020, the government of Russia increased the average tariff rate of 906 six-digit HS code(s) when compared to the previous year available in the WTO Tariff Download Facility. The new tariffs only affect the GSP tariff regime. The WTO Tariff Download Facility 'contains comprehensive information on Most- Favoured-Nation (MFN) applied and bound tariffs at the standard codes of the Harmonized System (HS) for all WTO Members. When available, it also provides data at the HS subheading level on non-MFN applied tariff regimes which a country grants to its export partners. This information is sourced from submissions made to the WTO Integrated Data Base (IDB) for applied tariffs and imports and from the Consolidated Tariff Schedules (CTS) database for the bound duties of all WTO Members.'

static: On 26 April 2019, the Russian government launched a new program of preferential loans to farmers, as well as to organizations engaged in primary and secondary processing of agricultural goods. To be eligible for the loans, agricultural producers and processing companies should sign a "competitiveness enhancement contract" with the Russian agriculture ministry. Once the competitiveness enhancement program is approved by the ministry and the company is in the designated register, it is eligible for short-term loans or investment credits.  The new program extended the coverage of the old program in terms of eligible products and agricultural and food processing activities. Under the new program, the short-term loans (up to 1 year) are available to the companies seeking to purchase, for subsequent processing, the following goods:  sugar beetroot sugars grains flours milk powder oil plants live animals and animal and poultry meat berries and other wild forest resources  The investment loans target the construction of new or modernizing the existing capacities and the purchase of hybrid breeding stock,with maturity terms of 2-15 years.  Under the capacity construction and modernization projects, the following sectors have been added under the new program:  feed mills, food concentrate industries wild forest food processing processing of oilseeds, production of enzyme manure processing bioenergy plants processing and storage of fish and seafood storage, processing, transshipment of grain and oilseeds port infrastructure for storage, transshipment and sale of cereals and oilseeds, products made of thereof and fish.  The program is nested under the new federal government budgetary support program titled "Exports of production of the agro-industrial complex", whose aim is to increase Russia's agricultural exports. Interestingly, the presentation of the program by the Russian ministry of agriculture mentions the potential risk of WTO complaints, should the volume of agricultural exports be chosen as an indicator of the program's effectiveness, recommending instead to monitor the volume of production transported through logistics hubs agreed on by the loan-taker and the government.  Despite the "logistics hubs" workaround, the government website describing COVID-19-related support measures and legislation formalizing such support continues to refer to "exports in exchange for subsidized loans." (see sources listed). To be eligible for short-term loans, a company should have transported goods worth at least 25% of the value of the required loan through the listed hubs in the preceding year, with the annual growth threshold of the value set at 3%.  To be eligible for investment loans, a company should commit to a) maintaining its existing volumes of goods transported through listed hubs and b) increasing the annual amounts by 5%-35% of the value of the loan, depending on the loan maturity and the product concerned.  The 2020 federal budget lists the following allocations under the program: 90 billion rubles for 2020, as well as projected allocation of 84 billion for 2021 and 88 billion for 2022 (USD 1.4 billion, 1.3 billion and 1.3 billion respectively).  On 14 May 2020, in the framework of state support measures to the local economy, the government suspended the application of eligibility criteria (volume of goods transported through listed hubs). The agricultural companies will continue to pay subsidized interest payments in 2020, even if they fail to meet their export/listed-hub-transportation indicators for that year. The decision entered into force on 15 May. 

static: On 15 September 2017, the Russian Government announced a transportation subsidy to agricultural and food producers. The subsidy targets producers and suppliers of agricultural and food products and covers their automobile and railway transportation costs, up to a set limit. The limits for railway transport are set at 100 thousand and 80 thousand rubles per 40-feet and 20-feet container respectively, or at 6 thousand rubles per cubic meter in a shared container. This corresponds to USD 1730 for a long container, 1390 for a short container and 104 for a cubic meter. The limit for automobile transport is 45 rubles (USD 0.78) per km. The overall limit is 50% of the value of the product.  The subsidy covers, fully or partially, all federal districts except one (Far Eastern). The subsidy is disbursed by the state-owned Russian Export Center, which call itself a development institute and incorporates the Russian Export Import Bank and the Russian Export Insurance Agency. The mandate for subsidy management is given to the Center by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture. Although export promotion is not formally listed as a policy goal, local governments and agriculture departments, economy ministry and a leading economy journal expect it to increase exports (see links in Sources).

static: Decree No. 1407-p of 1 July 2016 allocated state subsidies to 19 top administrative units of the Russian Federation for development of regional cattle breeding programmes. The subsidies are at the amount of 1.53 billion RUB (approximately 23.6 million USD). The state funds are allocated as part of the state programme for agricultural development and regulation of the markets of agricultural products, raw materials and food in 2013-2020. Neither this document nor the state programme for agricultural development and regulation of the markets of agricultural products, raw materials and food in 2013-2020 contain information that helps identify the affected HS codes. Therefore, HS codes for common farm animals and animal products in Russia have been indicated. The GTA includes state guarantees and other financial incentives that are likely to affect the restructuring and performance of firms facing international competition, whether from imports, in export markets, and from foreign subsidiaries.

static: On 27 February 2016 the Russian Government approved an allocation of federal budget subsidies to 74 subjects of the Russian Federation (top-level administrative units as per the Russian Constitution (Resolution No 320-p). The purpose of the subsidies (3.47 billion RUB, or ca. 46 million USD) is to co-finance expenditures, related to the development of family cattle breeding farms (without disclosure of a concrete list of end beneficiaries). Decree No. 165 contains the rules for allocation of these subsidies (see the related GTA report No. 11059 for more details). A concise summary of the subsidised end beneficiaries' activities includes: preparation of project-related documentation for construction, reconstruction or modernisation of family farms; construction, reconstruction or modernisation of family farms; construction, reconstruction or modernisation of production facilities for processing of livestock products; supplies of equipment and appliances, and their installation; purchase of farm animals. The GTA includes state guarantees and other financial incentives that are likely to affect the restructuring and performance of firms facing international competition, whether from imports, in export markets, and from foreign subsidiaries.

static: On 27 November 2014 the Government of Sevastopol approved Decree No. 511. It introduced a regional programme for development of the agricultural and processing industries in Sevastopol for the period 2015--2020. The GTA relevant sub-programmes are: "Development of the agriculture and processing industries in the period 2015--2020" with a total financing at the amount of 4.24 billion Russian Roubles (approximately 86 million USD) As subsidised products are mentioned: vines, crops, fruit, vegetables (explicitly mentioned potatoes). "Development of the livestock industry, processing and marketing of livestock products" with a total financing at the amount of 5.64 billion Russian Roubles (approximately 114 million USD). As subsidised products are mentioned: milk, butter, livestock and poultry. The GTA includes state guarantees and other financial incentives that are likely to affect the restructuring and performance of firms facing international competition, whether from imports, in export markets, and from foreign subsidiaries.

static: During 2011, the government of Russia increased the average MFN tariff rate of 8 six-digit HS code(s) when compared to the previous year available in the WTO Tariff Download Facility. The WTO Tariff Download Facility 'contains comprehensive information on Most- Favoured-Nation (MFN) applied and bound tariffs at the standard codes of the Harmonized System (HS) for all WTO Members. When available, it also provides data at the HS subheading level on non-MFN applied tariff regimes which a country grants to its export partners. This information is sourced from submissions made to the WTO Integrated Data Base (IDB) for applied tariffs and imports and from the Consolidated Tariff Schedules (CTS) database for the bound duties of all WTO Members.'

static: The Food Security Doctrine was developed'for the purpose of implementing the state economic policy in the field of food security of the Russian Federation, aimed at ensuring reliable food supplies to the population, developing the national agro-industrial and fish-producing sectors, responding promptly to internal and external threats to the stability of the food market, and participating effectively in international cooperation in the field of food security.' The President Medvedevinstructed the government to 'work out and approve an action plan for the implementation of the Food Security Doctrine' and 'prepare annual reports to the president which analyze, assess and forecast food security' of the country. Federal and regional authorities were told to be guided by the Food Security Doctrine in their daily work. The doctrine is a set of official views on the state economic policy goals, objectives and main guidelines regarding food security. It further develops the provisions of the National Security Strategy up to 2020 and draws on the Maritime Doctrine up to 2020 that were earlier approved by the president of Russia. According to new doctrine, food security is one of the main aspects of national security in the medium term, a factor of statehood and sovereignty, an important element of demographic policy, and a necessary condition for improving living standards in the country. The strategic goal of food security is to provide the population with quality agricultural products, fish, bio resources and food. This can be guaranteed by the stability of domestic production and the existence of necessary resources and stocks. According to the doctrine, the main food security objectives regardless of internal and external factors are following: timely forecasting, detection and prevention of internal and external threats endangering food security, minimization of their negative consequences by ensuring constant operation of the system that supplies people with food, creating strategic food stocks, ensuring sustainable development of domestic production of food and raw materials sufficient for securing food independence of the country; achieving and maintaining physical and economic availability of safe food for every citizen of the country in volumes and varieties that are consistent with the rational norms of food consumption needed for active and healthy life; ensuring the safety of food. The Minister of Agriculture, Elena Skrunnik, has emphasized that the most important point in the food security doctrine is import substitution focus, which is one of the main forms of the support of domestic industries. Thus, the doctrine gives clear priority to the domestic production. The document sets a benchmark level for the share of the domestic production on the internal Russian market. (If the amount of food is below the benchmark, there is no food security in the country). Thus, the grain food security benchmark is not less than 95% of the domestic market for the domestic production, for sugar - 85%, oil - 80%, milk and milk products - 90%, fish - 80%,meat and meat products - 85%, potatoes - 95% and salt - 85%. The doctrine says that 'accession to the World Trade Organization on the terms satisfying the national interests of the Russian Federation will also facilitate better food security of the country'.

static: The Goverment Decree # 918 from 8 December 2008 on meat quotas reduced the EU poultry quota from 236.4 thousand tonnes to 185.8 thousand tonnes (on beef and pork, the quota was increased). Russia put a request to redistribute some of the unused frozen beef quota from the EU to other countries.