Russia lifts ban on tomato imports from Azerbaijan
By Ayya Lmahamad
Russia’s agriculture watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor has lifted the ban on the imports of tomatoes grown in Azerbaijan.
The decision to lift the embargo entered force on December 16, after negotiations with Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency.
Rosselkhoznadzor banned import of Azerbaijani tomatoes and apples on December 10, citing the necessity to “prevent the import and spread” of pesticides to Russia. Tomatoes are Azerbaijan’s second-largest import to its northern neighbour Russia.
Rosselkhoznadzor told the Russian media that Azerbaijan has shared the results of relevant monitoring with the agency.
"Based on the results of the analysis of the provided information, Rosselkhoznadzor considers it possible under the guarantees of Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency to allow the import of tomatoes from the Azerbaijan into the Russian from the Agroterm LLC, located in Khizi district from December 16, 2020," the agency said.
Additionally, it was noted that two more greenhouse farms in Azerbaijan are currently under consideration for permission to import their products.
Russia was Azerbaijan's third-largest trade partner, as well as the first largest trade partner among CIS countries in 2020 with a trade turnover of $2.1 billion. Export to Russia amounted to $565.5 million, while import to $1.6 billion.
--
Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz