Russia may negotiate price limits with domestic food producers

A customer shops at a grocery store in Moscow August 7, 2014.REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia may negotiate a price control agreement with domestic food producers to prevent speculative price hikes that would affect inflation after it banned half its agricultural imports from the West, the agriculture ministry said late on Friday.

Russia banned meat, fish, dairy, fruit and vegetables imports from the United States, the European Union's 28 member states, non-EU member Norway, Canada, and Australia on Thursday in retaliation against sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.