MOSCOW, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) on Monday imposed import restrictions on fruits and vegetables from Moldova.
“Rosselkhoznadzor is forced to reinstate restrictions introduced in 2022 on the import of regulated products from the Republic of Moldova to Russia from Dec. 4, 2023,” the agricultural watchdog said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement said that the “ongoing systematic detection of elements subject to quarantine in vegetables and fruits” could inflict “multi-billion dollar damage” on agricultural production in Russia, and Moldova failed to take effective measures to prevent the supplies of these products.
However, the Moldovan National Agency for Food Safety called the decision “groundless.”
The Russian agency had temporarily restricted import of plant products from regions in Moldova to Russia on Aug. 15, 2022, saying the decision was made due to the unfavorable phytosanitary situation in the country.
Russia gradually lifted the restrictions from December 2022.
