Riga, January 30 (Xinhua) -- Latvian Agriculture Minister Krauser said at a press conference on January 30 that Latvia will not prohibit grain from Russia and Belarus from transiting Latvia to other countries in the European Union.
Krauser said that the Latvian Ministry of Agriculture has begun to work on a draft law that would require Latvia to indicate its destination when importing and clearing grain, i.e. to Latvia or to another EU country. Grain from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to be imported into Latvia, but as part of the European internal market, Latvia does not have the right to restrict companies from other EU countries from transporting Russian grain through Latvia to their destinations.
Krauser, in particular, noted that Latvian enterprises and farmers who buy Russian grain and use it for production no longer receive state assistance starting January 1 of this year.
According to the Latvian Ministry of Agriculture, Latvia is the second largest importer of Russian agricultural products and food products in the European Union, after Spain. The ban on the import and transit of Russian grain could lead to losses of up to 100 million euros for the Latvian port and rail transport industry. (ENDS).