Russia returns 23 tons of infected vegetables to China

In the Primorye region, on the border with China, Russian customs officers returned 23 tons of partially infected vegetables. Employees of the regional branch of Rosselkhoznadzor (agricultural control agency) found dangerous insects in the vegetables imported from China.

A large batch of vegetables was detained on the Russian-Chinese border - salad, onions, radishes, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. On the vegetables, customs officers found suspicious fur and sent a few samples for examination. Laboratory tests conducted by the All-Russian Center for Plant Quarantine confirmed the presence of infection on the vegetables. The products were infected with Californian flower thrips.

Californian thrips takes a leading position among the quarantine objects imported into the territory of Russia. The infection is widely spread on all continents: Asia, Africa (Kenya, South Africa), Central and South Americas (everywhere), in Australia and New Zealand. Thrips is dangerous not only because it causes direct damage to floral and ornamental plants, vegetables and fruit crops, reducing yields. It can also carry viruses - dangerous pathogens of herbal diseases. The infection affects more than 250 species of plants.