The secretary general of the Russian Association of Vintners and Vintners, Alexey Plotnikov, said that the association has asked Russian authorities to set a 200 percent duty on wine imports from NATO member countries. This information was reported by RIA News.
Plotnikov announced that the association would once again appeal to the government and the State Duma, requesting stronger measures to protect the Russian market. He said the AVVR would forward its position to the government of the Russian Federation and to the Expert Council of the Economic Policy Committee of the State Duma. The proposal includes establishing a 200 percent import duty on wine, sparkling wine, and fortified wines from NATO nations.
He also stated that the regime of preferential import duties for wines from Georgia should be abolished.
Earlier reports indicated that Abkhazian wines could become more expensive for Russian consumers due to a higher consumption tax on raw materials imported into the republic. Abkhazia sources bottles and closures from Russia and Portugal, and the rise in input costs is expected to push up the final price of the company’s products.
Meanwhile, Russia has seen a drop in the popularity of foreign wines in recent times.