Russia’s ban to have minor impact on Albania

TIRANA, Aug. 12 – Russia’s ban on EU fruit and vegetables in response to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the EU over its support to rebels in Ukraine, will have negligible impact on Albania as a new EU candidate country considering the minor trade exchanges between the two countries.
Data by the country’s state statistical institute INSTAT show total Albanian exports to Russia grew by six times to 197 million lek (around Euro 1.4 million) in 2013 with food and vegetables accounting for slightly more than a quarter, or around Euro 400,000.
Russia has banned all imports of food from the United States and all fruit and vegetables from Europe, the Russian state news agency reported, in a sweeping response to Western sanctions imposed over its support for rebels in Ukraine.
Analysts say the measures will hit consumers at home who rely on cheap imports, and on farmers in the West for whom Russia is a big market. Moscow is by far the biggest buyer of European fruit and vegetables and the second biggest importer of U.S. poultry.