Russian agricultural watchdog denies imposing restrictions on Uzbek fruit and vegetable imports

Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision, Rosselkhoznadzor, has officially clarified that it has not introduced any bans or restrictions on the import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Uzbekistan. A formal clarification regarding the matter was published on the agency's official website.

Photo: UzA

According to the regulator, Rosselkhoznadzor reached out to the competent authorities in Uzbekistan on May 29 to propose technical negotiations. The primary objective of the upcoming discussions is to develop a cooperative mechanism capable of ensuring safe, compliant, and completely uninterrupted shipments of Uzbek agricultural products into the Russian market.

The clarification follows confusion caused by a prior announcement on the Russian agency’s website, which stated that temporary restrictions would be enforced from May 30 against ten specific Uzbek exporters. Those companies had allegedly been flagged for committing the highest number of phytosanitary violations. The original publication, which was subsequently taken down, noted that the proposed measures were intended to preserve agricultural security due to recurring non-compliance issues with quarantined products originating from Uzbekistan.

Rosselkhoznadzor has now explicitly downplayed any immediate enforcement of restrictive measures. The watchdog emphasized that the current priority is maintaining a direct dialogue and organizing consultations with Uzbek regulators to improve oversight systems and foster steady, long-term agricultural trade between the two countries.