MOSCOW Russian customs authorities announced Sunday that import duties on about a quarter of all products would be cut from January 1, as part of Moscow's bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), AFP quoted Interfax as reportingd.

Russia is introducing new customs duties on 3,500 types of commodities, or 30 percent of all imports, and 88 percent of these changes will involve a cut in duties, a spokesman for the state customs committee told the news agency.

The import duties on almost all goods, currently levied at the maximum 30-percent and 25-percent rates, would be reduced to 20 percent, the spokesman added.

The maximum import tariffs would be preserved only for those imports that were particularly sensitive for the Russian economy, such as cars, white sugar and tobacco products, the customs committee said.

In November, the Russian government announced it would raise the import tariff on white sugar from 25 percent to 30 percent, starting January 1.

However, the import duties on vegetables, onions, carrots and other vegetables would be lowered, Interfax reported.

Russia has been a candidate for WTO membership since 1993, when it applied to the WTO's predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Informal talks with representatives of the 140-member global trade body are due to start in February, with the most controversial subject likely to be international calls for Russia to free up trade in agricultural products.