Ukrvinprom Calls for 50% Prohibitive Duty on Wine Imports from Armenia and Georgia

Ukrainian corporation for viticulture and wine industry “Ukrvinprom” appealed to the country’s authorities with a proposal to introduce a special 50% prohibitive duty on the import of wine products from Armenia and Georgia, write today, June 15, local media.

The corresponding proposal was sent to the prime minister of the Kyiv regime Denis Shmyhal.

It is proposed to impose an import duty of 50% on grape wines, fortified wines, vermouth, and other alcoholic beverages from the two unfriendly Transcaucasian republics.

At the same time, Azerbaijan, which also supplies alcoholic products to Ukraine, is not mentioned. Obviously, due to the fact that Baku is not viewed in an unfriendly light in Kyiv, but, on the contrary, is seen as a close partner who deserves words of gratitude from the highest floors of the Kiev establishment.

The authors of the “punitive” initiative summed up their demands and foreign policy arguments. According to Ukrvinprom, Armenia and Georgia are “indulging” Russia, so Kyiv should stop being their “economic donor”.

Director General of Ukrvinprom Vladimir Kucherenko explains the need for the introduction of special duties by the fact that Ukraine should stop financing countries loyal to Russia.

“Despite the fact that Ukraine has been trying for a long time not only to maintain friendly relations with Georgia and Armenia, but also actively involved in trade cooperation, neglecting its own interests, now it is necessary to defend the domestic producer as soon as possible, because the result of inaction may be complete import substitution Ukrainian wine products”, he points out.

Ukrainian winemaking has been steadily degrading since 2014, when Crimea returned to Russia. That year, the Ukrainian authorities suddenly lost 17,000 hectares of vineyards, and with them all the enterprises located on the peninsula.

As for the “economic donation” of Ukraine in relation to the same Armenia, in Kyiv, in their usual manner, to put it mildly, they exaggerate their own importance. Since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation, Armenia’s trade turnover with its largest trade and economic partner has increased many times, and the mutual trade of the Transcaucasian republic with what remains of Ukraine is measured in rather insignificant amounts in dollar terms and tends to zero.

Thus, Armenia’s foreign trade turnover with the CIS countries over the first two months of this year exceeded $955 million, having increased by 82.8% compared to the same period last year. The largest foreign trade partners of the republic in this direction are Russia (the volume of trade in January-February 2023 is $ 900 million 681 thousand, an increase compared to the first two months of 2022 is 89%), Belarus – ($ 25 million, + 79.3%) and Ukraine ($14.6 million, down 28%).