A United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report into organic production and consumption in Russia has found that the number of consumers willing to pay more for organic produce jumped 10 per cent between 2000 and 2005.
A large majority of available organic produce in Russia currently derives from EU countries, with apples, potatoes and yellow peppers imported from Germany, plums coming from Spain and tomatoes arriving from Italy.
Domestically, the report said, the 'most promising' Russian-grown organic produce includes mushrooms, berries and herbs. These are the products with the highest export potential, the USDA noted.
Major organic export opportunities to the European Union, US and Japan currently hinge on whether Russia's newly implemented national organic standard is deemed equivalent to their own. Currently, the report says, Russian producers can be voluntarily certified by Western inspection companies on the basis of other countries' standards.
While the EU is deemed the major target for future exports of organic Russian produce, there are also opportunities in Canada, which already imports Russian berries, Japan, China and Thailand, the USDA said.
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