Turkey lifts tariffs on Venezuelan seeds, cheese

ISTANBUL

Turkey has lifted tariffs on thousands of tons of Venezuelan agricultural products, including seeds, cheese and rice, according to a presidential decree.

The decree, which followed Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s meeting with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas last week, is based on a bilateral trade agreement signed between the two countries on May 31.

According to a list attached to the decree published on the Official Gazette, 5,000 tons of sunflower seeds and 2,000 tons of castor beans, oats, sesame seeds and safflower seeds each, could be imported from the socialist country without any tariffs in a year.

The list also includes 1,500 tons of cacao-based products and 1,500 tons of fresh, processed and other cheese products.

Venezuela will be able to export a total of 16,600 tons of agricultural products free of customs duties, the decree said.

A communique will be published by the Trade Ministry to regulate imports from Venezuela within the concept of the decree.