Russia Informs Armenia of Ban on Importing Armenian Fruits and Vegetables

The Russian side has officially notified Armenia's Food Safety Inspection Body that it is banning the import of Armenian fruits and vegetables, which includes the name of our company, Green Farmer LLC, according to information provided to Factor.am.

The greenhouse tomato-producing company based in Hrazdan is surprised by the Russian announcement that there are pesticide levels in their products exceeding permissible limits. The company is currently unsure whether they will be able to export tomatoes to Russia in the coming days. However, they firmly deny that there are any violations in their products. “We do not have any violations; everything complies with the established norms,” the company representatives asserted.

Nevertheless, Green Farmer believes that this decision might have a political context. Factor.am also attempted to obtain clarification from the Food Safety Inspection Body on this issue. The agency promised to respond to our inquiries at a later time.

It is noteworthy that, according to media reports, the Russian side has filed a written notification to the Armenian authorities, informing them that it is suspending the export opportunities of a number of companies for plant-derived products. Last autumn, Rosselkhoznadzor had also expressed concerns about frequent violations during the supply of plant products from Armenia.

Rosselkhoznadzor identified 72 cases of quarantine pests found in flowers and fruits and vegetables exported from Armenia. However, these incidents are not isolated. At the beginning of the year, Rospotrebnadzor had suspended the sale of several batches of “Jermuk” mineral water from Armenia, claiming that a citizen had suffered burns to the esophagus and died after consuming the water. Subsequently, Rosselkhoznadzor also reported having detected “violations” in the caviar exported from Armenia.