Russian watchdog sees growing violations in plant product imports from Turkey

MOSCOW. May 5 (Interfax) - Russian plant and animal health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor is seeing an increase in the number of cases where quarantinable objects are found in imports of plant products from Turkey, as well as shipments of unsafe fruit and vegetables, the agency reported on its website on Thursday.

There have been 184 cases of quarantinable objects being found in imports of citrus fruit, peppers, tomatoes, squash and pears from Turkey since the start of 2025.

"Such violations can indicate that the Turkish system to ensure the phytosanitary safety of products shipped to Russia is insufficiently effective," Rosselkhoznadzor said.

The watchdog recalled that the safety of plant product imports from Turkey was monitored for residual content of active pesticide ingredients and nitrates last year. Of the 1,664 shipments of Turkish goods tested, 104 or 6.25% did not meet the requirements of Russian law. The highest rates of noncompliance found were 23.42% in grapes, 21.28% in squash, 15.51% in cherries and 11.59% in apples. In a number of cases, maximum allowable levels of residual pesticides were exceeded by almost 25 times.

In 2025, the watchdog also found cases of noncompliance with hygiene standards for grapes and squash.

"Rosselkhoznadzor informed the Turkish side about all cases and asked it to conduct an official investigation into all found instances and take urgent corrective measures. However, information from the relevant Turkish agency about investigations and measures put in place is being received irregularly," the watchdog said.

Rosselkhoznadzor urged Russian importers to be more careful in selecting Turkish exporters.

Turkey is Russia's largest supplier of fruit and vegetable products, shipping 1.2 million-1.5 million tonnes annually, which amounts to about 13% of total Russian imports.