Russia’s strict stance on imports of fresh produce has by no means been limited to those originating in the European Union, the US and other banned countries this year – just ask Turkey’s tomato exporters.
Citing pesticide residues and harmful insects, Russia’s phytosanitary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor has, so far this year, refused entry of 101 tonnes of tomatoes from Turkey, according to Today’s Zaman.
Some commentators suggested the high volume of barred produce could be due to the increased attention on imports from Russia’s customs authorities.
Others raised the possibility that Russia’s new agriculture minister, a firm supporter of domestic produce, could be behind the increase.
In 2014, Turkish tomato exports rose to 591,830 tonnes, partly as a result of the Russian embargo, with more than half the volume heading to that market.
However, recent efforts by the Russian authorities illustrate the difficulty in preventing produce from banned countries entering via a permitted country.
Russia revealed that it was considering restricting re-exports of fruit and vegetables through European countries, with Rosselkhoznadzor announcing a ban on all re-exports of plant products from Bulgaria as of this week, according to Fresh Fruit Portal.
The watchdog backed up its decision by pointing to examples of apple shipments bearing suspected fake phytosanitary documents from Brazil and Morocco.
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