OREANDA-NEWS. January 12, 2015. A department of the Rosselkhoznadzor Russian phyto-sanitary inspection for Bryansk and Smolensk regions has returned to Belarus a batch of more than 90 tons of apples coming from Moldova and Poland. The Russian side said the batch was carried by violating rules of transit set by the Customs Union, according to a press release posted on the inspection’s official website.

Over 70 tons of agricultural goods were accompanied by „forged phyto-sanitary certificates issued by Belarus”.

The inspectors ascertained that discrepancies also were between the re-export phyto-sanitary certificates issued by Belarusian authorities and copies of phyto-sanitary documents issued by countries of origin of products.

After Moldova had initialed the Association Agreement with EU, Russia forbade the import of vegetables, fruits and canned products from Moldova on 21 July 2014. The Moldovan Agriculture Ministry estimated the losses worth about 15-20 million dollars, inflicted to farmers in the wake of the bans.

The National Statistics Bureau said the Moldovan exports to the Russian market had dropped by almost 30 per cent in the first ten months of 2014. Despite the EU market’s openness, the fruits and vegetables exports decreased by eight per cent, down to 196 million dollars.

By the end of 2014, Advisor to the Head of the Russian Phytosanitary Inspection Aleksey Aleskeyenko told Ria Novosti that Russia was ready to start negotiations on lifting up bans. "Rosselhoznadzor is ready to review interdictions on import of fruits and meat from Moldova, in conditions when a control system is created, which is to prevent re-export of products from the European Union," Alekseyenko said.

Moldovan Acting Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Vasile Bumacov has subsequently said that talks on cancelling embargo on export of Moldovan apples to the Russian market might take place in mid-January 2015.