Russian farmers may face a shortage of vegetable seeds after the government banned imports from the Netherlands, one of the country's key suppliers.
The ban, effective from 30 June 2025, extends earlier restrictions imposed by Rosselkhoznadzor in November 2023. It now includes seed shipments re-exported through third countries. The agency cited repeated detections of quarantine pests in Dutch products as the reason for the move.
"This is a difficult situation for farmers. The vegetable planting season is ongoing and will continue until August for some crops," said Stanislav Sankeiev, executive director of the association "People's Farmer", in an interview.
Industry representatives warn that without alternative suppliers or increased domestic production, there could be a shortage of planting material already this season.
Rosselkhoznadzor maintains that the restrictions are necessary to protect the country's phytosanitary safety and ensure stable crop yields.
Source: news.mail.ru