Russia likely to set new restrictions to import of fruits, vegetables from Moldova

Chisinau, 27 January /MOLDPRES/- The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) might set new restrictions on the import of fruits and vegetables from Moldova, for reasons that Moldovan enterprises would illegally re-export via Belarus products coming from EU.

The Russian authority notes that more economic agents from Moldova import goods from EU, and subsequently, they re-export them to Russia as their own production. This is illegal, especially as the European goods were banned on the Russian market.

“The volume of vegetable products, as well as their morphology suggests that, under the pretext that they are from Moldova, in fact, supplies of products from EU are made. In this context, the service does not exclude possibility to establish restrictions on import of such products for the companies involved in such illegal schemes”, a communiqué by Rosselkhoznadzor said.

The Russian authority is set to send a group of experts to Moldova, in order to track the production process and vegetal products meant for export to Russia. For their part, Belarusian authorities point out that, over the last month, more than 1,000 sanitary certificates were verified, of 48 contain signs of forging. As a result, the goods have been banned in Belarus.

This is the second warning issued by the Russian service in the last ten days. Last week, Rosselkhoznadzor was concerned about the fact that the State Inspection of Seed Production, Plant Quarantine and Protection of Belarus “certifies products which are not specific to Moldova either according to type, or by sorts of regulated products”. In these conditions, “only a common visit by Russian and Belarusian specialists to Moldova will give possibility to find out the true origin of these products.”

The Russian phytosanitary service informed that it had sent the National Agency for Food Safety a letter asking for information as soon as possible about “volume of harvest of products subject to quarantine in Moldova”, as well as the export of such goods both to Russia and other countries.

Contacted by MOLDPRES, IDIS Viitorul expert Viorel Chivriga notes that some Moldovan companies, as well as political forces hinted that the EU products are allegedly re-exported to the Russian market.  In this context, “the state institutions, firstly, the Customs Service, National Agency for Food Safety and others should immediately get involved and verify these charges,” the expert said.

If it is found out that “the accusations are groundless, the guilty should be punished.” Setting restrictions harms the companies, the country’s image and involves high costs to recover the situation; therefore, the institutions’ reaction must be immediate, Chivriga said.

On 12 June 2015, one year after the embargo had been put, Moldova resumed the exports of fruits to Russia as an experiment and in stages.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)