Russian sugar producers have agreed to a government proposal to drop the top level of raw cane sugar import tariff of $270 per tonne to ease the country's accession to the WTO, the sugar industry lobby said on Monday. The Russian Sugar Producers Union said in a statement it had agreed to cut the top level of the tariff to $260 from 2007 and to $250 from 2010.
Russia aims to join the World Trade Organisation, a Geneva based 148-state body, by the end of this year. But to reach this goal, it has to strike deals with all members of the trade club.
Russia will keep the tariff unchanged at $164 per for the ninth months in a row in August.
Raw sugar imports rose by 11.7 percent in the first five months of this year to 1.26 million tonnes.
GRAIN HARVESTS: Russia had harvested 21.8 million tonnes of grain by bunker weight by July 25, some 3.8 million tonnes more than at the same date last year, the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.
A ministry statement said grains had been harvested from 7.1 million hectares, or 16 percent of the total sown area and 2.0 million ha more than a year ago. Average yields were 3.08 tonnes per hectare, up 0.43 tonnes per hectare.
Russia officially expects to harvest 66-70 million tonnes of grain this year by clean weight, down from 78 million in 2004. Many analysts believe the harvest may be higher.
Bunker weight is normally some 8 percent higher than clean weight, obtained after grain has been cleaned and dried.
The ministry said farmers had ploughed 5.6 million hectares of land to be sown with winter crops.