Russia extends tomato ban
Russia has cited safety concerns for its latest tomato import ban against Azerbaijan, but some analysts suggest politics or protectionism may be at play
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Russia’s latest ban on tomato imports, on this occasion targeting those arriving from Azerbaijan, has convinced many analysts that tomatoes are being used as a political football by Moscow.
Last week, Russia s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Rosselkhonznadzor, announced that Russia was banning tomatoes from Azerbaijan, citing safety concerns.
However, Azerbaijan s involvement in a conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh with its neighbour and Moscow ally Armenia has led to political speculation, according to
Detection of Pepino Mosaic virus is due to vaccination of the seeds
News has come out that Russia will not allow imports of tomatoes from Uzbekistan, Turkey, Armenia, Morocco and some other countries anymore due to detection of the pepino mosaic. Speaking with a Russian fruit specialist, it seems this is all true except for the Moroccon imports. They are not able to ship their produce in fear of these developments, meaning huge amounts of produce will be lost.
Tatiana Nazarova is a former Food Retail Manager and an expert on the Russian fruit market. According to her, the tomato imports to Russia are wrongly being stopped at the border: “Tomatoes from Uzbekistan, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaidjan and Belorussia are officially banned, with Morocco not being officially banned, but this country still can t export its tomatoes to Russia for the same reason: In every container that brings tomatoes to Russia the pepino mosaic virus is allegedly ‘found’. I feel these measures aren’t