Imports of cheese (excluding cottage cheese) totaled 174.8 thousand tons (+4.8 percent), including young cheeses – 32,0 thousand tons, 27.7% more than in January-November 2015. Imports of cheese increased by 10.5% and amounted to 25.5 thousand tonnes Increase in the supply of cheese and cottage cheese is celebrated primarily from the Republic of Belarus (+10%, to 25.3 million tonnes, in comparison with January-November 2015), Serbia (+12% to 8.0 thousand tonnes, down from 7.1 thousand tons for January-November 2015), Uruguay (+20%, to 2.9 kt).

By the end of 2016, the import of cheese and cottage cheese can be about 218,8 thousand tons, which will be 5% higher imported volumes in 2015. Imports of cheese at the same time can increase to to 191.6 thousand tons (+5%), cottage cheese to 27.2 thousand tons (+8%). In early 2016, imports of cheese and cottage cheese soared despite relatively low levels of world prices.

The decline in growth of import deliveries started at the end of the first half after the beginning of the recovery in the world price levels and the regular increase in the recommended selling prices of key external supplier – the Republic of Belarus. However, grew and average contract prices for imported goods.

The main external supplier of cheese and cottage cheese on the territory of the Russian Federation and other dairy products, is the Republic of Belarus (25% of imports in 2013, 42% in 2014, 80% by the end of 2015, 87% in the first 11 months of 2016). After the introduction of Russia's special economic measures against a number of countries with the Russian market took cheese and curd from the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Lithuania and some other countries and the complex political situation in the Ukraine contributed to a significant reduction in the supply from there.

Continue to supply cheese from Argentina, Serbia, Armenia, Uruguay and Switzerland. According to preliminary results of 11 months of 2016 physical volumes of deliveries of cheeses and cottage cheese from Belarus increased by 13%: imported to 173.4 thousand tonnes of cheese and cottage cheese in the amount 560,8 million USD (+5,4% in comparison with 11 months of 2015 in terms of value).

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