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18 Aug, 2014

Russian sanctions create surplus of European produce – DW.DE

Volunteers at a food bank in the Dutch town of Maassluis diligently pack ripe tomatoes and chicory into little bags for those who need it. They only open once a week, and when they arrived this week, it was to find a donation of 32 boxes of fresh produce.

Dutch farmers are not the only ones having to find new ways to ensure their harvest doesn’t go to waste in light of Russia’s sweeping export ban. They need to shift their fruit and vegetables as quickly as possible, but dumping it on the domestic market would run the risk of a price collapse. In order to prevent that scenario, one idea being mooted is to simply destroy what can’t be sold.

“We have to talk to other countries to decide whether it makes sense,” Sharon Dijksma, state secretary for economic affairs, said in a news release. “Every market intervention has consequences, so we have to weigh up the best course of action.”

Read the rest: Russian sanctions create surplus of European produce | Europe | DW.DE | 15.08.2014.