By RIA Novosti,
Ankara : Russia’s decision to freeze imports of Turkish agricultural produce has spread panic among local agricultural producers, Turkish media reported on Tuesday.
Exporters are facing vast losses, with large shipments of fruit and vegetables halted en route to Russia.
Russia’s agricultural regulator Rosselkhoznadzor said last Friday it would suspend Turkish agricultural imports from June 7, after high levels of chemical fertilizers were found in certain products.
The regulator said that around 4 million tons of agricultural produce that Turkey exported to Russia in 2008 contained pesticides and nitrate traces in “amounts significantly exceeding the maximum permitted levels set by Russian law.”
Since the ban was declared, vegetable and fruit prices in Turkey have plummeted. In particular, the price of tomatoes has more than halved since last weekend.
Rosselkhoznadzor said it had urged the Turkish agriculture minister to ensure that Turkish exporters comply with Russian standards and regulations.
The move came two days after the countries signed a cooperation agreement in Moscow in energy, transport and investment.