Russia's food watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, expressed on Wednesday its concerns over systemic deliveries of infected tomatoes from Turkey, and warned that it could consider a ban on imports from Turkey's Trabzon and Hatay provinces
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2020) Russia's food watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, expressed on Wednesday its concerns over systemic deliveries of infected tomatoes from Turkey, and warned that it could consider a ban on imports from Turkey's Trabzon and Hatay provinces.
The watchdog has already announced a ban on import of tomatoes and peppers from Turkey's Antalya and Izmir provinces starting December 11 due to detection of the South American tomato moth, Western flower thrips, Pepino mosaic virus, tomato spotted wilt virus and tomato brown rugose fruit virus.
"Rosselkhoznadzor is concerned over the systemic deliveries of infected tomatoes from Turkey. Quarantine phytosanitary control of fresh tomatoes from the Republic of Turkey systematically reveals objects that are considered as quarantine for the Eurasian Economic Union member states," the watchdog said in a statement.
The watchdog added that it had already notified the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry about detection of Pepino mosaic virus, tomato spotted wilt virus and tomato brown rugose fruit virus in tomatoes imported from Trabzon and Hatay. However, the ministry has not reported any measures.
"We are talking about some isolated cases so far, but if the situation becomes systemic, Rosselkhoznadzor will consider a ban on import of vegetables from these Turkish provinces," the statement read on.
