Putin accuses Belarus of cheap milk deliveries

The Russian government will consider the issue of additional measures to support domestic dairies, because purchase prices are sometimes lower than production cost.

Vladimir Putin said it today during a call-in show, NEWSru.com reports.

“What you do is a difficult form of farming, and the government should think what else can be done to support dairies,” Putin said. “Purchase prices are often lower than production cost,” he added. Putin stressed that the authorities knew the situation and would try to help milk farmers.

He noted that Russian dairies had problems in many ways due to a “large import of powdered milk”. The Russian president said Russia and Belarus should agree on common ways to subsidise agriculture.

He specified that much milk was imported from Belarus, which decreases prices in Russia. “As in any economic union, our partners and we will discuss the problem honestly, talk and look for common ways and the common level of subsidising agriculture and its particular sectors, including the dairy sector,” Putin said.