The Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of Russia has introduced a ban on the import of all plant products from the Fergana province of Uzbekistan due to the detection of a dangerous pest in the incoming batch of dried apricots - the khapra beetle, the press service of the Rosselkhoznadzor reported.
On December 7, during online negotiations, the authorities of Uzbekistan and Russia discussed the discovery by the Rosselkhoznadzor during the quarantine phytosanitary control of a batch of dried apricots (1 ton) of a quarantine species for Russia and the EAEU member states - the khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium Ev.). The pest was identified in the products received from the Fergana province at the larval stage in the amount of 2 pieces per 1 kg of products, which indicates a serious infection of the batch, the Russian department notes.
“The khapra beetle is a polyphagous pest of stocks. Its spread on the territory of the country can cause serious damage to crops, including grain. And this can affect the Russia’s exports. In this regard, the Rosselkhoznadzor is forced to impose a ban on the import of all regulated products from the Fergana province of Uzbekistan,” the statement added.
According to the Rosselkhoznadzor, the relevant authority of Uzbekistan will send to the authority the minutes of inspections of warehouses where controlled goods were stored, in which a quarantine object was found.
In addition, the parties agreed to organize negotiations between researchers of the two countries to discuss the methods to identify the khapra beetle in plant products and to develop a position on the most effective ways to detect it.
