Logistics stupor: will goods from Europe forget the way to Russia

Moscow announced mirror restrictions on the delivery of goods from the EU

And remember, earlier in stores, the seller slowly rolled out a cart into the hall, for example, with sausage and loudly shouted: “We fly in, we take it while we have it.” People crowded around, and only the most nimble managed to snatch the treasured loaf. Everything will come back, that’s what I’m up to. In any case, this is how the key players see the future of the Russian food market. Their position in a nutshell: if the authorities ban trucks from the EU and other countries from moving through our territory, the domestic food market will not do well. The government, in turn, made a decision: from October 1, it is impossible to transport goods across the country to companies from states that previously supported sanctions against Russia. The corresponding document was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Translated into the language of manufacturers and logisticians, this is actually an iron curtain in terms of cargo turnover. But is it all so bleak for consumers?

Sad milkmen and sausage makers, bakers and confectioners began to frighten Russians with food shortages in early April, immediately after the European Union announced a ban on the entry of road freight carriers from the Russian Federation. “If the authorities introduce mirror measures, everything is lost: we will lose ingredients, logistics will fall apart, the shelves will be empty, prices will skyrocket,” they said. Six months passed and, in general, nothing terrible happened: yes, the logistics are not so simple, but the shelves were not empty, and even inflation, according to government statistics, began to slow down … Nevertheless, the old songs sound in a new way: again in In connection with Russia’s reciprocal ban on the entry of trucks from the EU, retailers frighten consumers either with exorbitant prices or with a famine. I really want to tell them in response: “Enough to scare. Scared already!

Let’s remember how this logistic epic began. On April 9, the EU released the contents of the fifth round of sanctions. In it, among other things, there was a ban on the work of domestic carriers in the EU. The document contains a caveat: the restriction does not apply to vital products, medical goods, humanitarian goods, and agricultural products. That is, most of the necessary goods will still be transported – from Russia and back. Domestic producers became nervous: it is expensive to rebuild supply chains, a simple truck at the border or even re-tripping costs money, and the authorities, in the current geopolitical turbulence, are unlikely to allow prices to be rewritten upwards. What can be done to keep costs from rising? Armed with the aforementioned scarecrows, they went to Prime Minister Mishustin with a request not to introduce mirror measures. But, as you can see, nothing happened. First, President Putin gave the government the right to impose a ban on international trucking of goods. And since October, the government, taking advantage of this right, nevertheless introduced mirror measures and banned trucks from unfriendly countries from moving around Russia.

According to the document, the implementation of road freight transportation through the territory of the Russian Federation will be prohibited for companies from such unfriendly countries as the UK, Norway and Ukraine. Trucks from EU countries will also be subject to restrictions. But again, this restriction does not apply to the transportation of various types of food products, medicines. According to representatives of the Ministry of Transport of Russia, the delivery of goods to our country will continue, but with some changes. So, for example, goods from foreign cars will have to be reloaded (or reattached) to Russian and Belarusian vehicles in customs terminal complexes in the border areas in the Pskov, Kaliningrad, Leningrad and Murmansk regions, the Republic of Karelia and St. Petersburg.

What do we end up with? Yes, the logistics are complicated. Yes, perepepka, overload costs money. But, sorry, of course, but these are the problems of food manufacturers and a number of logistics companies. If we talk about ordinary citizens, they will continue to buy milk and sausages in the convenience store just as they did. Let it be more expensive, but still – they will. No one says that business problems are unimportant. But production costs are no reason to frighten the population with a shortage of products and a general rise in prices. People are already tired.