Polish exporter on Russian ban
"We will focus on other markets, when Russia comes back there will be no more apples for them"
“The ban will apply to virtually all vegetables and fruits, such as apples, pears, quince, cherry, sweet cherry and cabbage, all fresh-refrigerated vegetables,” assistant to the Rosselkhoznadzor head Alexei Alekseyenko said.
The Russian agricultural watchdog said the ban would apply to all types of cabbage, as well as peaches, nectarines, plums and black thorns.
Russia will impose the ban due to Poland’s breach of certification requirements and the presence of quarantine harmful organisms in Polish imports, Alekseyenko said.
The Russian agricultural watchdog has registered 27 instances of finding two quarantine harmful organisms in Polish imports since the start of 2014.
Rosselkhoznadzor has also revealed that Polish vegetables and fruit pose a threat to human health in many instances due to excessive concentrations of pesticide residue levels and the presence of nitrates.
The Rosselkhoznadzor said that its Moscow, Moscow and Tula Region branch alone had exposed 211 Polish fruit and vegetable batches weighing a total of over 3,700 tons with pesticide residue content exceeding permissible levels by 2-15 times in the first half of 2014.
Excessive pesticide levels were found in 90% of all Polish apples inspected by Rosselkhoznadzor.
A Polish apple exporter told FreshPlaza that the move was totally political and in response to the sanctions imposed by the US and the EU earlier this week. "The apples we export to Russia receive the same treatment as the apples we send to Europe and other countries where we have never had any problems. Russia are only blocking themselves from a good cheap apple supply, we will focus on other markets and when Russia comes back there will be no more apples for them."
He believes that this is the wrong way for Russia to go about 'getting back' at the US and Europe, as it will only hurt the Russian consumers in the end.
Polish growers have already been focussing on other markets such as China and the Middle East, the Association of Polish Fruit Growers has been preparing a campaign promoting Polish apples in China and the UAE. The three-year-long campaign, aiming at China's and UAE's consumers, traders and the media, will be launched this autumn, when the first new fruit is picked.
The exporter says that there is a big market in Polish apples, the market is growing rapidly and consumers in China are also looking for a cheap alternative when it come to apples.