The Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine has said that it hopes to resume exports of Ukrainian hard cheese to Russia in the middle of May 2012, Ukrainian Agricultural Policy and Food Minister Mykola Prysiazhniuk said during a briefing on Wednesday,April 11.
"We’ve sent [the relevant documents], and we’re waiting for a response and a decision. Today Rospotrebnadzor experts are working in Pyriatyn, and then they will go to Mena. So, we hope that the issues will be settled in April or in the middle of May, especially considering the fact that the Russian side is waiting for our products," the minister said.
When asked whether palm oil was found in Ukrainian cheese, Prysizhniuk said, "Fortunately [no]."
On April 10, Ukrainian Economic Development and Trade Minister Petro Poroshenko said that he would visit Moscow to discuss the issue of exports of Ukrainian cheese to Russia.
"The visit [to Russia] is likely to take place this month," he said and expressed hope that the negotiations would result in noticeable progress in solving the cheese problem.
As reported, on Feb. 7, 2012, Russia banned imports of cheese made by some of Ukrainian producers to that country due to a lack of compliance of their products with the Russian technical regulations regarding milk and dairy foods.
"The sale of a total of 32 tonnes of cheese has been suspended on the Russian territory," Onishchenko told Interfax in March. Up to 120 tonnes of Ukrainian cheese more were seized on the border, according to him.
On March 3, Onishchenko informed that Russia had completed examining documents of some Ukrainian companies that supplied cheese products to Russia. Rospotrebnadzor notified Ukraine of its willingness to inspect the compliance of their foods with Russian quality standards on the spot.
