A batch of 20 tonnes of potatoes, which were to arrive in Moldova from Turkey, was denied entry by the employees of the inspection post at the Leușeni crossing point. According to a National Agency for Food Safety press release, following the phytosanitary inspection, the inspectors found in the potato tubers the pest Phthorimaea operculella (moth of the potato tubers).
ANSA specialists said that the insect could hibernate during all development stages. While stored, it reproduces as long as the tubers provide opportunities for feeding the larvae. A female lays 50-200 eggs on the leaves, uncovered tubers or buds. Depending on the climatic conditions, several generations can develop in the field, while subsequent generations develop in storage areas. Larvae chew galleries in the tubers, which eventually rot.
In April, from Tudora Inspection Station, Stefan Voda district, a 22-ton batch of potatoes, imported from Belarus, was sent back due to the detection of a quarantine object for Moldova - Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. Sepedonicus.