Russia Wouldn't Stoop So Lowe
posted 27th July 2000

WASHINGTON - A delegation of Russian agricultural lawmakers said the country would not purchase genetically modified crops from the United States nor do they need any. Valery Kechkin, one of three visiting Federation Council members, said the Russian Parliament would not approve the purchase of U.S. biotech crops "unless there was such a desperate need to justify it. "We are not poor enough to go that far," Kechkin told reporters through an interpreter. "We give priority to ecologically pure products which is known on the basis of traditional technology."

The Russian delegation met with Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Richard Lugar and U.S. Agriculture Under Secretary Gus Schumacher during a week-long leadership exchange programme between the two countries. Vladimir Beketov, Federation Council member, said U.S. food aid to Russia was not discussed in the meetings. "We did discuss that the United States has a certain amount of surplus product...which they might be able to find a market (for) in the territory of Russia," Beketov said. The United States offered Russia a massive food aid package after a poor harvest in 1998 and 1999. Russia asked for an aid package of five million tonnes of various foods, but the United States has only agreed to donate a smaller package of 500,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid.rs and posters with messages that demand jobs and an end to poverty. These foot-soldiers are mobilisi