The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has taken action following an increase in the return of exported products. Last year, Russian officials detected insect pests and filed 1,423 declarations to return imported products back to Turkey. Now, Turkish officials are taking protective measures under the scheme of "Action Plan for Health and Quarantine of Exported Fruits and Vegetables".
The ministry will initiate a fumigation procedure as of July 1 for tomatoes, strawberries and peppers that will be exported.
Insect traps will be used
According to the action plan, companies will follow up on the Mediterranean fruit fly by making use of insect traps. If there are damaged fruits in the area before or during the harvest, they will be removed from the field. In addition to this, producers will use pesticides that are authorized by Russia.
Products will be monitored
The products will be monitored at each stage from the production to the packaging. In order to make the system work, labels and barcodes will be initiated. Besides, all the deliveries will be subject to document controls. The companies whose products were returned will be under tight controls. 10% of their exports will be checked to see whether they are in line with plant health standards. If they fail these controls, their products will not be allowed to leave the customs.