UPDATE: Russian service says Egypt ignores fruit supply violations

(Provides new headline, lede, adds paragraphs 2–3)

MOSCOW, Sep 14 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight is concerned with the fact that Egypt ignores existing problems regarding violations in fruit and vegetable supplies, the service said Wednesday.

Egypt has ignored a necessity to take urgent phytosanitary measures after the Russian service reported about four quarantine cases with citrus fruit supplies from Egypt at the end of the first half of 2016, the regulator said.

“Unfortunately, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Oversight has not received Egypt’s official position about readiness to discuss the existing problems, which can lead to Russia’s decision to introduce temporary restrictions on Egyptian imports to Russia,” the service said.

The service said on Tuesday it could temporarily ban imports of products of high phytosanitary risk from Egypt. Ibrahim Imbabi, head of the quarantine office at Egypt’s agriculture ministry, said then that Egypt had not received any complaints from Russia over the quality of fruit and vegetable supplies.

Egypt exports around 320,000 tonnes of citrus fruits and 200,000 tonnes of potatoes, as well as onion and pomegranates to Russia, Imbabi said.

End