The Situation in the Cheese Market Before and After the Food Embargo

Abstract

The paper considers the processes of development of the Russian cheese market after the introduction of the food embargo in 2014 and in the conditions of import substitution policy. The analysis indicates a decrease in the volume and change in the structure of imports, the replacement of suppliers from Central and Western Europe by Belarusian and Latin American exporters, an increase in the consumer price and a significant decline in product quality. Using the example of the cheese market, the authors show that the import substitution processes take place at the expense of the consumer, as in other agri-food markets. Harmonization of relations in the cheese market, the authors believe, is possible with the return to the cheese market of its traditional producers from non-CIS countries. This will be possible with the introduction of changes to the list of products banned to be imported into Russia, and the subsequent targeted regulation of food markets using the tools of proper protectionism.