India has asked Russia to lift the ban on the import of plant product from here. The Government has also invited Russians to visit Indian plant quarantine stations, which are used before exports to ensure quality of plant products.

Russia had banned the import of plant products from India after they detected a beetle in a sesame seed consignment. India was taken aback by the ban as the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures specifies that the importing country must seek an investigation regarding non-compliance of the standards from the exporting country.

Incidentally, India, which has over the past two years reported several cases of non-compliance by Russia in items like wheat, pine logs and yellow peas, has refrained from banning imports from the country. Last September, India had reported that a consignment of pine logs from Russia was infested with live beetles. But, India admitted the consignment after proper treatment. What has raised eyebrows in Delhi is that Moscow has banned all ‘plant products’ and not a specific item. The Government has found that the compliance certificate issued to the consignment was proper. It has decided to undertake an audit of the plant quarantine station which issued the certificate.