Russia lifts ban on tomato imports from Azerbaijan

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Russia’s agriculture watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor has fully lifted the ban on tomato imports from Azerbaijan, the country's Food Safety Agency has reported.

The decision was made based on the results of the quarantine phytosanitary examination of samples of products selected during the joint video inspections.

The Azerbaijani Food Safety Agency and relevant agencies were taking joint measures to lift restrictions on the tomatoes and apple export from Azerbaijan to Russia.

To recall, on December 10, 2020, Rosselkhoznadzor prohibited the export of Azerbaijani tomatoes and apples, citing the need to "prevent the import and spread" of pesticides into Russia.

Azerbaijan is a major fruit and vegetable supplier to Russia. The country ranked first in supplies of fresh and chilled tomatoes. In the list of Azerbaijan’s non-oil exports, last year tomatoes ranked third, accounting for $160.2 million.

Azerbaijan and Russia have mutual cooperation in different fields, such as economy, agriculture, customs, communications, high technology, and others. More than 230 intergovernmental and intercompany documents have been signed between the two countries and six "road maps" are being implemented.