Russia does not produce pears on an industrial scale, unlike apples, according to Igor Mukhanin, President of the Russian Gardeners' Association. Currently, only small pear orchards remain in some southern regions, which are insufficient to meet domestic demand.
Mukhanin explained that Russia's pear industry suffered a major setback in the mid-1990s when orchards were devastated by psyllids and bacterial infections brought from abroad. As a result, large-scale pear cultivation was abandoned, and restoring domestic production would require a dedicated government program to reduce import dependence.
Today, pear orchards are mainly found in Krasnodar Krai, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Stavropol, while central Russia has almost none. Most of Russia's pears are imported from South Africa, China, Serbia, and some CIS countries.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities continue to monitor fruit imports to prevent pest infestations. On February 1, agricultural inspectors in Amur Oblast intercepted a shipment of 21 tons of pears from China, contaminated with the oriental fruit moth, a pest capable of destroying entire harvests. The shipment was declared quarantine-restricted and sent back to China.
In another case, customs officials in Smolensk Oblast stopped a truck carrying undeclared Polish pears disguised as dried fruits from Belarus. The shipment lacked the necessary phytosanitary certificates, and the driver now faces a fine and confiscation of the cargo.
In 2024, Smolensk customs authorities prevented the illegal import of 568 tons of embargoed fruit from Europe. Since the start of 2025, they have already intercepted 63 tons of restricted produce.
Source: producttoday.ru / smolgazeta.ru / asn24.ru