Mishustin included pine nuts in the list of strategically important goods

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed decree, which Korean pine pine nuts are listed as strategically important goods and resources. Oleg Kozhemyako, Governor of the Primorsky Territory, came forward with this initiative. Smuggling of nuts will be punishable by imprisonment for up to 12 years.

Mr. Kozhemyako considers pine nuts a valuable resource for the economy, as well as an important link in the food base of animals living in the region. Minister of Forestry and Wildlife Protection of Primorsky Krai Konstantin Stepanov said that when processing pine nuts, the gross value of the finished product increases at least 1.6 times.

“The main goal of the changes in the legislation is to create conditions for the processing of all harvested pine nuts within the country, thereby significantly increasing the surplus value of the final product,” said the minister, whose words are quoted in press release on the government website.

The department clarified that the measures being introduced are aimed at regulating the export of pine nuts and do not limit the rights of the population to collect and harvest them. It is clarified that the expansion of the list of strategic resources will make it possible to exclude the possibility of exporting walnuts harvested in the Primorsky Territory under permits from the Siberian regions, which has been repeatedly used for illegal exports.

In October 2022, the Legislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai suggested the government to impose a ban on the export of raw pine nuts in order to stimulate the development of production for the processing of pine nuts in Russia. At the end of last year, the volume of exports of pine nuts supplied by Siberian enterprises increased 2.3 times year on year, up to 9.5 thousand tons. China remained the largest importer, accounting for 81% of the physical volume of all exported nuts.

Laura Keffer