Kommersant reported on April 18 that ERA Group, Russia's largest manufacturer of ventilation equipment, proposed to the government to impose protective tariffs on plastic products from China, cancel import duties on plastic raw materials and components, and provide export tariff subsidies to Russian exporters. The company said that under the eighth round of sanctions, its products are banned from exporting to the European Union, while exports to friendly countries are subject to export duties of 20-35 percent. But at the same time, Russia imports from foreign products duty-free, resulting in the loss of competitiveness of the company's products. The company earned about 800 million rubles ($9.81 million) from exports in 2022, with a projected drop of 15 to 20 percent in 2023.
The government said companies would need to provide evidence of dumping by foreign suppliers, confirming that products from China and other countries had been cheaper over the past three years. But this process is difficult and takes a long time. In addition, the ministry of Industry and Trade proposed to help companies find local suppliers of relevant products, and the government to provide loans totaling 200,000 roubles ($2,444) at interest rates of 1-3% to help companies set up factories.
