Russia sells more vodka, buys more tea & coffee – customs data
Exports of Russian vodka surged 5% in the nine months through September, while imports of coffee and tea saw a substantial year-on-year growth of 6.4% and 1,6% respectively, the Federal Customs Service reported on Thursday.
Russia reportedly curbed purchases of fresh and frozen meat, butter, apples, and bananas. At the same time, imports of citrus fruit, coffee, and tea grew within the specified period.
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Russian imports of fresh and frozen meat declined by 14.2% to some 160,000 tons from January through September 2021, while imports of poultry meat dropped 3.5% year-on-year to around 178,000 tons. Imports of fish surged 15.5% to nearly 301,000 tons, while exports of fish fell 16.2% to 1.083 million tons.
Imports of butter declined by 2.8% to 95,500 tons, with purchases of cheeses and cottage cheese seeing a growth of 9.8% to nearly 245,000 tons. Meanwhile, imports of citrus fruit increased by 2.7% to 969,500 tons, and purchases of bananas and apples totaled 1.059 million tons and 774,400 tons, marking a drop of 5.8% and 2.2% respectively.
At the same time, purchases of coffee and tea amounted to 182,100 tons and 116,500 tons respectively, also fixing a year-on-year growth. Imports of soy beans to Russia dropped by 4.5% and totaled 1.527 million tons, while purchases of palm oil grew 7.1% to 802,700 tons.
Russia imported drugs and medicines worth $6.638 billion, marking a 35.1% surge compared to January-September 2020. Imports of drugs and medicines totaled $797 million in September alone, marking a month-over-month increase of 11.2%.
Foreign sales of vodka grew by 5% and amounted to 1.603 million dekaliters (16.030 million liters). Imports of alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages surged 24.4% to $2.304 billion dollars, while foreign purchases of cigars and cigarettes soared 60% to $70.4 million.
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