Russia has warned Pakistan that it will ban rice imports again if their phytosanitary concerns are not addressed in future consignments.
he Russian Federation’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (FSVPS) has issued a notice concerning a shipment of rice from Pakistan that failed to meet both international and Russian phytosanitary standards. Detailed in notification FS-SA-3/6592, dated April 2, 2024, the report identifies the discovery of a quarantine pest, “Megaselia scalaris (Loew),” within the rice consignment.
The FSVPS has promptly requested the plenipotentiary and trade representative at the Pakistani embassy in Russia to conduct an immediate investigation into the issue.
A copy of the notice from Russian authorities reveals that the FSVPS has urged the designated official at the Pakistani embassy to prevent future breaches and highlighted the crucial need for compliance with phytosanitary standards to safeguard the safety of agricultural products exchanged between nations.
In response, the trade section of the Pakistani embassy in Moscow has sent an English translation of the letter from the Russian authorities to the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) in the Ministry of Food Security and other pertinent governmental bodies.
The letter by the embassy to the DPP states, “In view of the above, it is requested that an investigation may be conducted immediately and the results of the investigation may please be shared with FSVPS in order to avoid any possible ban on rice exports in the future.”
Meanwhile, the FSVPS has also sent an official communication to the director of DPP, seeking a higher degree of cooperation in the field of plant quarantine.
