The ban imposed by Russia on Moldovan fruit and vegetables is not something of a novelty and is a political game of Moscow, said the president of “Moldova-Fruct” Association of Fruit Producers and Exporters Vitalie Gorincioi. According to him, the Moldovan fruit producers can sell their merchandise on other markets. The ban imposed by Russia affects only the consumers in the Russian Federation as these limitations push the prices on the domestic market there up, IPN reports.
The ban imposed by Russia on the import of Moldovan fruit and vegetables took effect on December 4. Russia’s Rosselkhoznadzor argued that dangerous insects, such as Grapholita molesta, Frankliniella occidentalis, Bactrocera dorsalis and others, which are banned in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, were found in Moldovan products.
“For ten years since I have managed “Moldova-Fruct”, I have heard about bans imposed by Russia for about ten times. We are naïve and, instead of dealing with our own businesses, we wait for them to change their mind. Last year, we invited those from Rosselkhoznadzor, constituted a working group together with the NFSA and those who were accused of delivering fruit that didn’t meet the standards. It ultimately turned out that those put on the list didn’t even export plums. Let’s think in a logical way. There are no pests on the left side of the Nistru, but there are pests on the right side. In Gagauzia, there are no pests, while in Cahul there are pests. It’s clear that these are political games,” the head of “Moldova-Fruct” Association Vitalie Gorincioi stated in the program “Reflection Points” on Vocea Basarabiei channel.
According to him, most of the members of the Association of Fruit Producers and Exporters “Moldova-Fruct” reoriented their exports to the EU and the bans imposed by Russia affect only the consumers in this country.
“The discussions and negotiations should be held with state institutions, with the NFSA, with the Ministry of Agriculture, not with political parties. There are political leaders who compile the list of producers that are banned from exporting. It is a shame for such a big country like Russia to resort to such methods. We will sell the fruit to those who want to eat them and who pay money. In Russia, it is the consumer who is primarily affected. Russia also grows apples and their producers are now raising the prices,” stated Vitalie Gorincioi.
The National Food Safety Agency (NFSA) reacted, saying that “the Moldovan fruit and vegetables are exported to over 80 countries and the quantities of plums and apples exported to European countries have been doubled this year. No countries, except Russia, notified of particular violations. The Russian authorities’ decision runs counter to the international phytosanitary principles and is not based on any real reason.”
