Russia Discusses Tomato Supply with Armenia and Azerbaijan

Sergey Dankvert, head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor), has held discussions with Georgi Avetisyan, the head of the Food Safety Inspection Body of the Armenian government, regarding the supply of fruit and vegetable products to Russia, and with Goshgar Ilahioglu Takhmazli, head of the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan, as reported by RIA Novosti.

Starting December 10, Rosselkhoznadzor has banned the import of tomatoes and apples from Azerbaijan to Russia due to the detection of pests in products from that country. The agency notes that it has repeatedly informed the Azerbaijani Food Safety Agency about systematic cases of quarantine objects found in the products. "Since October 22, 2020, there have been 17 recorded instances of detecting quarantine objects in products intended for the Eurasian Economic Union, specifically the South American tomato moth and the eastern moth in fruit and vegetable products (tomatoes, apples)," the statement said.

During negotiations with the Armenian side, Dankvert expressed concern over the identification of the Pepino mosaic virus in tomatoes supplied to Russia, which, if imported, could cause significant damage to agriculture. "Given the absence of investigation results in this case and the lack of information on measures taken by Armenia, Rosselkhoznadzor has been compelled to impose a ban on the import of tomatoes from the Armavir region of the Republic," the service noted.

Furthermore, effective from December 14, the importation of tomatoes and peppers from the Armavir region of Armenia to the Russian Federation will be prohibited following the discovery of products infected with the Pepino mosaic virus.

During talks with the Armenian representatives, Dankvert emphasized the fundamental importance of strengthening supervision over vegetables supplied to Russia by the competent Armenian authorities. Additionally, an agreement has been reached on cooperation between scientific institutions of the two countries to discuss the methods used to detect the virus and develop the most effective methods for its identification.

While negotiating with the Azerbaijani representative, the head of Rosselkhoznadzor indicated that Russian authorities had repeatedly informed the competent body of Azerbaijan about the systematic detection of quarantine objects in fruits and vegetables of Azerbaijani origin sent to Russia. Given that the flow of infected products has not ceased, Rosselkhoznadzor has been compelled to ban the import of tomatoes and apples to Russia (products where dangerous pests have most frequently been identified). The agency expects the results of investigations into each case of the detection of quarantine objects, particularly the South American tomato moth and the eastern moth, from the relevant Azerbaijani authorities.

Additionally, it was proposed to hold negotiations on Friday, December 11, between the specialists of the relevant departments of the two countries to discuss the current situation. The parties will consider the possibility of applying the principle of regionalization in the supply of fruits and vegetables from Azerbaijan to Russia.