"Quality of Russian cucumbers comparable to Dutch produce"

For two years, greenhouse consultant Kees Kranenburg was living in Russia. Currently he is in Russia for his vacation. According to him he hasn't notice the effects of the Russian import ban so far. "There are tomatoes present in the Russian supermarkets. They are all coming from former countries that were part of the former Soviet Union."

Kranenburg was active as a greenhouse manager for two years at Vyborzhets, a greenhouse that grows cucumbers year round with the help of supplemental lighting. Earlier this year he went back to The Netherlands. During his vacation he visited his former greenhouse Vyborzhets. "The company is run very well, they are doing a great job and are growing a great crop. The quality of the Russian cucumbers that they are harvesting is really good and can be compared to Dutch produced cucumbers."

According to Kranenburg, the import ban/boycot of EU produce is not really visible in the Russian Federation. "Putin is a smart guy and takes advantage of a situation by playing a protective political game. So far you do not notice anything in the shops in Russia. There are tomatoes present in the Russian supermarkets. They are all coming from former countries that were part of the former Soviet Union."