Russia bans export of Korean pine nuts

The Russian Federation has ramped up the repercussions of shipping Korean pine nuts out of the country.

According to a new decree signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Korean pine nuts have now been added to the national list of strategically important goods and resources.

This now means that the export of Korean pine nuts either shelled or unshelled, will be considered a criminal offense and will be punishable by up to 12 years in prison.

However, according to the Government, the new legislation is only aimed at regulating exports and does not prohibit regular citizens from collecting and harvesting the nuts.

The initiative to add the foodstuff to the list of strategically valuable resources was initially proposed by Oleg Kozhemyako, Governor of Primorsky Krai, which borders China and North Korea who argued that the role of Korean pine nuts was not limited to being a valuable resource for the economy, but also forming an important food base for animals in the region.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies has projected a bumper harvest for Russian farmers.

“The forecast for the wheat crop has been increased by 1.5 million tonnes to 88 million tonnes, while the estimate of gross grain harvest is expected to rise to 137 million tonnes,” said IKAR CEO Dmitry Rylko.

In addition, Rylko predicted foreign sales of grain to amount to 61 million tonnes, including 47.5 million tonnes of wheat.

However, the Agriculture Ministry said the forecast could still be upgraded noting that the country’s export potential for the 2022/23 agricultural year was hovering at around 55 million tonnes.

Last year, Russian farmers harvested 157 million tonnes of grain and pulse crops, marking a year-on-year surge of nearly 30 percent.

The wheat crop alone soared 37 percent to 104 million tonnes compared to 76.1 million tonnes recorded in 2021.