The Russian agricultural and veterinary supervisory authorities have issued an alert concerning the entry of a shipment of tomatoes from Morocco into the local market, reports a Russian media outlet. Examinations carried out by a state scientific institute revealed that 1.1 tons of the Moroccan product were infested with viruses, potentially posing a health hazard to Russian consumers. The shipment, destined for markets in the city of Kaliningrad, was subsequently quarantined. During the same sanitary inspection, around 24 tonnes of tomatoes imported from Turkey were also banned from entering the country, according to the same source. Moroccan exports to Russia have been showing a positive trend. In 2021, they increased by 10.8% compared to 2020, with their value reaching 435 million dollars, as revealed by the former Moscow ambassador accredited to Rabat, the late Valerian Chouvaev. Following King Mohammed VI's state visit to Russia in March 2016, Moroccan agricultural exports to the country rose. They now represent around 50% of Moroccan products destined for the Russian market, Chouvaev had stressed.
