Turkish tomatoes are suspected to be reaching Russia via Georgia, as reported by the Russian newspaper Izvestia, although the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) has said that they cannot prove it.
"We have no confirmed cases of re-exports of Georgian tomatoes from Turkey. It is difficult to find such supplies. If all documents are in order, it is impossible, in the case of Georgia, to determine where the products were grown," said the press secretary of the Rosselkhoznadzor, Yuliya Melano.
Indirect evidence suggests that Georgia has increased its purchases of Turkish tomatoes fourfold; at the same time, the volume of Georgian tomatoes shipped to Russia has also grown considerably.
The ban on the import of Turkish fruits and vegetables to Russia, in force since 1 January 2016, was party lifted for citrus fruits, but tomatoes are still subject to it. Turkey itself is unable to find alternative markets for its tomatoes, while consumers in Russia are experiencing shortages.
Source: focus-news.net