Five trucks containing 40,000 kilos of Polish apples are waiting to be sent into Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave as part of an initiative to help feed children going back to school in the coming days.
The project has been set up by the French-based InterMarché supermarket, which wants to help Russian children at a time when food prices in the exclave are rocketing after Russia imposed an embargo on EU products.
Bartlomiej Tarlowski from the chain told Polish Radio that “we want to donate the apples to children as the new school year gets underway,” adding that the company want “to go ahead by 12 September”.
InterMarché has formally requested the Russian Embassy for access to the exclave, although it is not certain how Moscow will react to the plan.
Even though Tarlowski believes that the request will be given a positive appraisal from the Russians, he mentioned that there is an alternative if the plan is scuppered.
“If it doesn’t work out we will donate the apples to children in Polish schools or we will invite the children from the Kaliningrad exclave to come to our stores in the region,” he said.
The Polish apples are earmarked to be sent to 37 schools in the Russian Kaliningrad exclave.
In 2013, around 25 percent of Polish exports to the Kaliningrad exclave were food products.
Kaliningrad is dependent on foreign imports, with 70 percent of dairy products, 50 percent of its fruit, 44 percent of vegetables and 40 percent of its poultry coming from abroad. (jb)
Ewa Malcher
