After a bitter dispute with Ecuador, its main supplier, Russia has begun importing bananas from India and is exploring other fruits. The change follows Ecuador's decision to trade Russian military equipment for U.S. goods. India, a significant banana producer, has indicated a willingness to export other fruits like mangoes, pineapples, papaya, and guava to Russia.
The first shipment of Indian bananas reached Russia in January, with the next scheduled for late February. Russian agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor predicts, "the volume of exports of Indian bananas to the Russian market will increase." Rosselkhoznadzor recently halted banana imports from five Ecuadorian companies due to pest concerns.
Ecuador's food safety agency counters that only 0.3% of banana shipments to Russia were infested and posed no risk. The Indian banana import decision has not been directly linked to the U.S.-Ecuador deal by Russian authorities, but Russia has a history of food import restrictions from countries it disputes with.
Source: independent.co.uk