RIGA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- In the first quarter of this year, Latvia imported 158,325 tons of cereals from Russia, an increase of 39.8 percent against the first three months of last year, LETA news agency reported on Monday, citing data released by the State Revenue Service.
The value of the Latvian grain imports from Russia dropped 6.2 percent year-on-year to 27 million euros (29 million U.S. dollars) in the first three months of 2024.
Representatives of the State Revenue Service noted that goods that have undergone customs clearance and have been released for free circulation acquire the status of European Union goods.
According to the State Revenue Service's information, in the first quarter of this year, 596,807 tons of Russian grain and grain products were shipped through Latvia in transit to other countries, which is 78.9 percent more than a year ago.
In February, Latvia adopted a bill banning imports of Russian and Belarusian grain and other agricultural products to Latvia. In March, the European Commission proposed increasing tariffs on Russian grain to reduce their import into the bloc. (1 euro = 1.08 U.S. dollar) ■
