Russia to restrict Indian rice, peanut imports from May

Russia will introduce restrictions on rice, sesame and peanut imports from India from May 1, if India fails to comply with food safety requirements, the food safety watchdog said Friday.

Rosselkhoznadzor said earlier it had seized several shipments of Indian rice, sesame and peanuts after finding they contained a banned pesticide, contaminants and insecticides.

It urged India to provide safety certificates on its food exports, including the use of pesticides and other specifications.

If India fails to comply with the requirement, Rosselkhoznadzor will impose restrictions (including a complete ban on imports from India) starting May 1, until measures are taken to guarantee compliance with Russian food safety standards.