Imported cheeses in Russia are getting smaller. Over the past 4.5 months, the volume of mozzarella, parmesan and similar products from abroad fell by 43.6% to 4,300. Tons. These are the data of the survey of the Ministry of Agriculture on the external economic activity of the agro-industrial complex as of April 19. But in the beginning of 2016 g. The situation was the opposite: in the first half of the year cheeses were imported by 15.7% more than during the same period of 2015.

At the same time, Russians did not eat a little cheese, they simply prefer to buy domestic cheese instead of the foreign, they write "Izvestia". Therefore, its production is growing. From the beginning of the year it increased by an average of 4% and from January to March amounted to 105 thousand. T (growth - 2,2%), and for cheese products - 56,5 thousand. T (6%). In addition to the growth in the production of Russian cheeses that gradually replace imported cheeses, illegal shipments of "sanctions" have decreased, experts said..

From January to March, the share of the main cheese supplier in Russia - Belarus - fell by 4%. Very soon domestic producers will regulate cheese not only from far abroad, but also Belarusian, warned Arkady Ponomarev, a member of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues, who oversees the milk and dairy products.

Last year, according to the Federal Customs Service, Belarus was the absolute leader in the supply of cheese to Russia, the amount of supplies from which amounted to $ 630 million (about 42.5 billion rubles). The second in the list of Argentina - from this country to Russia was imported cheese for $ 37 million (about 2.5 billion rubles). The top five suppliers also include Serbia, Uruguay and Switzerland.

While the decline in imports of these products did not particularly affect prices. Since the beginning of this year, as the review of the Ministry of Agriculture on the external economic activity of the agro-industrial complex shows, they grew by 3%.

In August 2014.

Russia imposed a ban on the importation from EU countries, Australia, Norway, Canada and the USA of certain types of agricultural products, in particular - cheese. Before the imposition of the embargo, about 70% of the import of cheese was supplied from countries that were subject to restrictions. Since that time, the production of cheeses and cheese products in our country has increased by one third: in 2013. It was 435 thousand. T, and in 2016 - already 600 thousand. Tons.