Ecuador tightens inspections of bananas shipped to Russia - watchdog

MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Ecuador has increased the number of inspections of bananas exported to Russia from five enterprises that violated the phytosanitary standards of Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and also build a special quarantine area for loading bananas from plantations, Russian plant and animal health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said after consultations with the South American country's Agency for Phyto and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control.

A representative of the agency also said that it has required fruit exporters to comprehensively combat pests, train workers, additionally clean containers and mark products for tracking, Rosselkhoznadzor said. Ecuador has invited representatives of the Russian watchdog to visit the country in order to personally make sure that the measures being taken against banana suppliers are effective.

The parties also agreed to soon work out a memorandum of understanding between the two regulators on the particulars of quarantine phytosanitary control (oversight) at checkpoints.

Rosselkhoznadzor earlier asked Ecuador's Agriculture Ministry to stop certifying bananas from five exporters as of February 5, citing frequent discoveries of product infested with a dangerous quarantinable object for Russia and the EAEU, humpback flies.

At a meeting between Rosselkhoznadzor head Sergei Dankvert and Ecuadoran Ambassador to Russia Juan Fernando Holguin Flores on February 16 that was arranged on the initiative of Ecuador, the Russian watchdog said certification of bananas from the five exporters could be resumed under guarantees from the Ecuadoran agency.

Rosselkhoznadzor, citing Ecuadoran data, said that Russia accounts for 21% of Ecuador's banana exports.

Rosselkhoznadzor also said that shipments of Ecuadoran carnations through European Union countries - Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands - were discussed in the course of the consultations. The Russian watchdog had earlier asked the authorities of these countries to stop certifying Ecuadoran flowers as of February 9 due to the discovery of western flower thrips in shipments. However, a ban on imports was not imposed.

The participants in the consultations said that the signing of a memorandum of understanding will make it possible to increase the number of direct shipments of flowers from Ecuador to Russia, which will help solve this problem.