28.09.2026 Regulation #EAEU #Import #Bans
Belarus introduces six-month licensing for apple imports from outside the EAEU
Belarus's Council of Ministers, by Resolution No. 487 of September 24, 2026, introduced licensing for imports of apples originating from countries that are not members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The measure will remain in force for six months (BELTA; SB; ONT; Belnovosti). A day earlier, the head of the Brest regional executive committee had made a similar public appeal, calling for a suspension of foreign apple imports amid a large local harvest (GS.by).
How the licensing regime will work
Apple imports from non-EAEU countries move to a permit-based system: they will be carried out under one-time licenses issued by the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) in agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (BELTA; SB; Belnovosti). These are one-time licenses per shipment, not an import ban.
Who is affected
The rule applies to importers bringing apples into Belarus from outside the EAEU, that is, from anywhere other than Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Armenia. For business, it adds an administrative step before customs clearance of every batch: obtaining a one-time license agreed by two ministries. Supplies from fellow EAEU member states are not subject to licensing.
A large harvest as the case for protecting the market
The government says the resolution was adopted "to ensure the domestic market is fully supplied with domestic apples during the off-season, based on the high harvest" (BELTA; SB).
The day before, Brest regional executive committee chairman Petr Parkhomchik said on the STV channel that the region expects to harvest 135,000–150,000 tonnes of apples this season — "roughly three times more than a year earlier" — and proposed urgently suspending imports of foreign apples. According to him, orchards in the region cover more than 8,000 hectares, with nearly 1,500 hectares of new plantings over the past five years, about half of the area under late-winter varieties (GS.by).
Industry outlet Agronews gives a similar forecast: Brest region growers expect around 130,000 tonnes of apples, whereas last year frosts left the harvest 3–3.5 times smaller than expected. Fruit and berry crops in the region cover 8,200 hectares, including 1,400 hectares planted over the past five years; late-winter varieties account for 50% of the area and winter varieties for 44% (Agronews).
Primary sources
- БЕЛТА: в Беларуси на шесть месяцев вводится лицензирование импорта яблок
- СБ. Беларусь сегодня: в Беларуси на шесть месяцев вводится лицензирование импорта яблок
- ОНТ: в Беларуси ввели лицензирование импорта яблок из третьих стран на полгода
- Белновости: в Беларуси ввели лицензирование импорта яблок
- Mlyn.by: яблоки из-за пределов ЕАЭС в Беларусь будут ввозить по лицензиям
- GS.by: в Беларуси предложили приостановить импорт яблок
- Agronews: урожай яблок в Брестской области может составить около 130 тыс. тонн
- Альта-Софт: в Беларуси вводится лицензирование импорта яблок
This material is for information only and does not constitute legal advice or customs consulting. Verify changes against the primary sources before acting.