Baltic States – CIS, Foodstuff, Legislation, Lithuania, Markets and Companies, Port, Transport

Meanwhile, the tension in Ukraine is growing. Russia has deployed large military forces by the Ukrainian border, while Ukraine responds to it with the mobilization of 60,000 volunteers. For several days, restrictions, initiated by Russia, have been introduced: food export to the Customs Union has been halted. Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius was vague, when speaking about losses incurred. "It is very simple to calculate. In a year, over 1 billion tonnes of food is re-exported and exported to Russia through terminals in the Seaport of Klaipeda."

Yesterday, Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius announced that Russia had begun a blockade against the Port of Klaipeda. However, there is more peace in the port than at the Government building. "It is impossible neither to re-export, nor export, nor import food through all the terminals of the Seaport of Klaipeda. For instance, US transported poultry legs stored at refrigerators of Lithuania-based company Klaipedos Smelte, but the US company received an instruction to export through other ports, which do not belong to Lithuania and some other countries," said the prime minister during the Government's Hour at the Seimas. The controlling authorities of Russia began closely observing production, which is transported through Lithuania, writes Lietuvos rytas.

Russia was calling on some world companies, which export products to Russia through Lithuania, to bypass Lithuania, said the Lithuanian prime minister yesterday.

Algirdas Butkevicius says that Russia has instructed some Western suppliers to do not carry goods through the Port of Klaipeda. However, both the leadership of the port and heads of freight companies assure that there is no panic. According to Butkevicius, the situation is already discussed with heads of Klaipedos Smelte and the Klaipeda State Seaport Authority. The prime minister said that so far losses were not discussed and there were no figures to mention. "Within a year, over 1 billion tonnes of food is re-exported and exported to Russia through terminals in the Seaport of Klaipeda," said the prime minister later at the Seimas. Meanwhile, a representative of the Klaipeda State Seaport Authority said there was nothing to worry about. "We have received information that there was no such a problem. I cannot comment on something that might be not happening," said Arturas Drungilas, Marketing and Administration Director at the Klaipeda State Seaport Authority, who is currently on his visit to the United States, when asked to comment on the situation.