Moscow is sounding the alarm: the oriental codling moth has allegedly attacked tomatoes brought from Azerbaijan. This has led to a partial ban by Rosselkhoznadzor on the import of tomatoes to Russia. Azerbaijani suppliers are also forced to carry out disinfection procedures and undergo re-control, which costs them considerable money and nerves.
The Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters of Azerbaijan is seriously concerned about such actions by Rosselkhoznadzor. According to the head of the Association, the Russian regulator is “artificially creating grounds for restricting exports by making more and more claims about the quality and packaging of products.”
“If there were no problems with the quality of exported Azerbaijani tomatoes before the beginning of June, then how did it happen that they arose later?”, said the head of the Association Bashir Guliyev.
These bans and complications of procedures are actually trade sanctions from Russia. They have no economic justification, since difficult weather conditions in the spring in the Russian Federation caused a serious crop failure of vegetables and fruits. And there is already a serious need for their import. Azerbaijan has been the largest exporter of tomatoes to Russia since 2017. Azerbaijan’s share in the annual import volume has already increased to 34% in 2024, according to a report by the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation.
Rosselkhoznadzor also stated that Russia is restricting the import of dairy products from two Azerbaijani producers into its territory. We are talking about the products of the enterprises OOO ALLBUY and OOO MILK PRODUCTS. The Russian side has requested information from the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan on the origin of raw materials from three more Azerbaijani producers of milk and dairy products. These are the companies OOO ATENA, OOO AZEMAL and OOO AZ. MILKA EXPOR. It is reported that the Russian side has additionally requested information from the relevant authorities of Azerbaijan on the origin of raw materials from three more Azerbaijani producers of milk and dairy products. These are the companies OOO “ATENA”, OOO AZEMAL and OOO “AZ. MILKA EXPOR”.
That is, in fact, Russia has started a trade war against Azerbaijan. The Russian Federation knows very well that it is a key market for the sale of agricultural products of Azerbaijan, 97% of Azerbaijani tomatoes were exported directly to Russia. Such trade wars are one of Putin’s favorite political techniques, which have been regularly used for years against Georgia, Belarus and Ukraine.
