Russia warns Pakistan of rice import ban over quality issue

Notwithstanding efforts by Islamabad to improve ties with Moscow and China’s role in that process, Russia has warned Pakistan that it would ban rice imports from that country if its phytosanitary concerns were not addressed in future consignments.

Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (FSVPS) has issued a notification, citing violations of international and Russian phytosanitary requirements in the shipment of a rice consignment from Pakistan, sources indicated to ET.

The notification, dated April 2, highlighted the presence of a quarantine organism, Megaselia scalaris (Loew), in the shipment.


The FSVPS has asked the plenipotentiary and trade representative at the Pakistani embassy in Russia for an immediate investigation into the matter, sources informed.

Russia had previously imposed a ban on rice imports from Pakistan on similar grounds in 2019, which remained in place for around two years. It was lifted after a series of negotiations between officials of both sides. Earlier, in December 2006, Russia had stopped the import of rice from Pakistan for not meeting food safety standards.

Pakistan’s ties with Russia and earlier with the Soviet Union have always been limited in scope even as China has been trying to bring Islamabad closer to Moscow. Experts who study Russia-Pakistan ties indicated that there could be more than meets the eye over Moscow’s warning to Islamabad.

Russia has been keeping a close watch on Pakistan’s efforts to improve ties with the West. The US President had sent a letter to the Pakistan Prime Minister following his re-election. In his letter, Joe Biden had expressed interest in renewing the “partnership” with Pakistan to tackle the most pressing “global and regional challenges”. These included “health security, economic growth, education for all and strengthening Pakistan’s climate resilience, support for sustainable agriculture, water management, recovery from devastating floods and protection of human rights”.

Besides, Pakistan’s role in spreading extremist ideology to Central Asia is also under Moscow’s watch. Earlier Pakistan’s regular ammunition supply to Ukraine was a matter of discomfort for the Russian establishment.