Friday March 29th, 2024
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Russia Lifts Ban on Egyptian Fruit and Vegetable Imports

Egypt announces that Russia has lifted their ban on Egyptian fruits and vegetable after Egypt reversed their decision to reject a shipment of Russian wheat earlier this month.

Staff Writer

On Monday, Russia’s Trade and Industry Ministry announced that they will lift the ban on importing Egyptian fruits and vegetables.

Russia’s decision to temporarily suspend the import of fruit and vegetables was announced on September 16th and was supposed to start on September 22nd. It’s believed that the ban was imposed in retaliation for Cairo rejection's of Russian wheat shipment for containing the common ergot grain fungus.

The international standard for ergot contamination is set at 0.05 percent; however, in December 2015, the Egyptian government implemented a zero-tolerance for ergot contamination, which when ingested in large doses can cause bodily harm. At the time many critics voiced concerns that it would be almost impossible to meet this standard.

On Saturday, the Egyptian government backed down from their strict stance and accepted 240,000 tons of Russian wheat in accordance with the international standard. The next day, Egypt sent a delegation to Moscow to address the ban on Egyptian fruit and vegetable imports. After negotiations on Monday, it was announced that Moscow will officially lift the ban and resume the imports of Egyptian fruits and vegetables.

Photo Retrieved from swefm.blogspot.com