Municipality distributes 20 tons of free vegs, fruits as Russia announces sanctions

Doğan News Agency - OSMANİYE

DHA Photo

A municipality in the southern district of Osmaniye has distributed 20 tons of vegetables and fruits formerly destined for Russia among the public for free, as Russia announces new sanctions on Turkish exports to Russia.

The Kadirli Municipality distributed a total of 20 tons of fresh vegetables and fruits purchased for 35,000 Turkish Liras from producers who have recently suffered losses because they have been barred from selling in the Russian market, due to newly imposed controls on Turkish exports to the country. 

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a government order on Dec. 1 approving a raft of sanctions to be imposed on Turkey due to Turkey’s recent downing of a Russian warplane.

The order, published on the government’s official website, included a list of agricultural products that Russia will no longer import from Turkey as of Jan. 1, 2016. The list included fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, grapes and apples, as well as chicken products. It did not include lemons or nuts, two products that Russia imports in large quantities from Turkey.

According to Kadirli Mayor Ömer Tarhan, the municipality wanted to encourage the public to buy local products and support local farmers through the stunt, aptly done during “Local Goods Week.”

“In the framework of the Local Goods Week, we have distributed fresh vegetables and fruits, which Russia said no to, to our people for free...A 30-person team distributed seven different types of agricultural products, which we bought for 35,000 liras,” he added. 

In Turkey, a week in December is celebrated annually as Local Goods Week, a tradition traceable to the 1920s, to encourage the consumption of domestic goods.