Country’s phytosanitary authority Rosselkhoznadzor suggests import volume will increase, Reuters reports

Russia has already started to seek out alternative sources of bananas from countries including India, it has emerged.

Earlier this week, the country suspended around a quarter of its banana imports from Ecuador in a dispute over military hardware, although it claimed the ban was for alleged phytosanitary breaches.

According to Reuters, Russia intends to increase the volume of bananas it imports from India, and has already taken delivery of its first shipment.

It quoted Russian agency Rosselkhoznadzor as saying “the volume of exports of Indian bananas to the Russian market will increase.”

A separate report in UK newspaper The Independent, meanwhile, suggested India was also keen to supply other fruits including mangoes, pineapples, papaya and guava.

Ecuador’s banana industry has defended its phytosanitary record and said it would work to resolve the dispute.

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