Russia extends ban on food imports up to end of 2020

The Russian government has announced that it is to extend its embargo on imports of food from the US, the EU, Norway, Australia, Ukraine and Canada. The ban has been in place since August 7, 2014 regarding products from the US, the EU, Australia, and will now be extended until December 31st 2020. The measure is a response to economic sanctions imposed by other countries on Russia in protest at its annexation of Crimea. Other non-food goods are also included in the respective bans. Russia recently lifted the ban on imports of Turkish food products following a thawing of relations between the two countries. Russia has invested heavily in glasshouse technology in recent years to ensure a larger domestic supply of agricultural produce.