Russia Raises Alarm Over Pepino Mosaic Virus in Moroccan Tomato Imports

"Rosselkhoznadzor is concerned about the systematic detection of the pepino mosaic virus, for which a temporary quarantine phytosanitary measure has been introduced, in tomato imports from Morocco. This may indicate a serious deterioration of the phytosanitary situation in the kingdom," Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement.

The Russian health authorities are calling on their Moroccan counterparts to engage in discussions with them on resolving the situation and the issue of new Moroccan tomato imports to Russia.

Last October, Vladimir Putin’s country had banned the import of Moroccan tomatoes with health certificates from the Netherlands, Belgium and France. This ban followed the discovery of the pepino mosaic virus in Moroccan tomatoes.