Licensing introduced for apple imports
The Belarusian government has introduced licensing for apple imports for six months. This is stipulated by Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 487 of September 24, 2026.
Illustrative photo. Photo: "Nasha Niva"
The restriction applies to the import of apples from countries that are not members of the Eurasian Economic Union. One-time licenses for such imports will be issued by the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade in agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
The government explains the decision by a high apple harvest in Belarus and the need to supply the domestic market with domestically produced goods.
In previous years, Belarus was not always able to provide the population with apples until the new harvest, so the government periodically introduced licensing for the export of these products from the country as well.
Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food reported plans to completely abandon purchases of certain types of food from so-called "unfriendly countries" within the next five years. Apples were included in this list.
A significant portion of imported apples traditionally comes from Poland. In 2025, Belarus purchased Polish apples worth $51.8 million, and in 2024 — $37.8 million.
Prior to this, on September 22, Piotr Parkhomchyk, chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee, proposed immediately stopping the import of apples into Belarus.