The amount of flowers grown by Russian enterprises has doubled since 2022 despite restrictions, Mikhail Mishustin has said

Russia has managed to overcome its dependence on the West when it comes to flower farming, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Wednesday during a visit to one of the major enterprises in the industry. The country has doubled its production volumes over the years since Western sanctions were imposed, he said.

The prime minister was touring a greenhouse flower farming company in Moscow Region ahead of International Women's Day. March 8 is celebrated in many countries across the world, and flowers have traditionally been one of the most popular gifts to mark the occasion in Russia.

The West "sought to deprive our women of flowers. They did not succeed," Mishustin told journalists and company employees during his visit. He admitted that the restrictions that hit the national flower growing industry back in April 2022, just months after the start of the Russian military operation against Ukraine, initially "shocked" everyone.

At that time, Russia imported 100% of its planting material for some of the most popular flower types like tulips or roses, according to RBK business news outlet. The EU restricted exports of flowers, bulbs, and seeds to Russia as part of its fifth sanctions round.

Local producers eventually used "the opportunity to grow" their production volumes, Mishustin said. The government supported the industry with specialized credit lines and benefits, he explained, adding that the industry can expect further support in the future.

The US and its allies in the EU and elsewhere have hit Moscow with an unprecedented number of restrictions over the years since the start of the Russian military campaign against Ukraine. The sanctions targeted anything from the banking sector to Russia's international financial transactions, its oil and gas industry, as well as individual government members and entrepreneurs.

The restrictions still failed to prevent the nation's economic growth, with its GDP increasing by 5.4% year-on-year as of the first quarter of 2024, according to the state statistics agency, Rosstat. Moscow also managed to increase the role of the national currency in its export settlements. The ruble was used for more than half of settlements for goods and services exported by Russia to other European countries by mid-March 2024.