Egyptian oranges stuck in Russian ports following a sudden import amendment

While Egypt claimed the top spot for orange exports the world over in 2021, a snafu that has drawn in high-level diplomatic mediation over pesticide contamination is threatening relations in one of its main markets. 

Over 40,000 tons of Egyptian oranges in 150 shipments are currently being held at Russian ports pending negotiations between the two countries to allow the containers to enter, Egyptian exporters told Mada Masr.

Although Russia claims that the shipments do not meet its import specifications, Egyptian exporters who spoke with Mada Masr laid the blame on Russia for changing its standards without coordinating with the Egyptian side. 

The Egyptian oranges were seized over three weeks ago, according to Ahmed al-Bishbishy, the chair of Gouda for Agricultural Products, a major orange exporter.

“But once the shipments arrived at Russian ports, they were stopped from entry, after the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) rejected the shipments, claiming that they did not conform to specifications and contained traces of Imazalil fungicide,” Bishbishy told Mada Masr.

Imazalil fungicide is commonly used post-harvest on crops including bananas and citrus and, though not entirely banned, is classified as “likely to be carcinogenic in humans” by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Yet, sources in Egyptian export companies said these traces are “stipulated in the Egyptian-Russian export agreements and are common worldwide.” 

Last year, Egypt topped the list of orange exporting countries, sending out about 1.67 million tons to markets mostly in Russia, Saudi Arabia and China. Egypt’s place as the orange export king brought it about US$843 million, according to a September report issued by the agriculture export council. 

Rosselkhoznadzor is a federal executive body affiliated with Russia’s agriculture ministry that is responsible for quarantine as well as the safe handling of pesticides and agricultural chemicals. It has only recently started its work in ports and initiated new requirements “that even the Russian agricultural quarantine [agency], was not informed of, let alone the Egyptian side,” one of the export sources told Mada Masr.

Moreover, the agreements signed between Egypt and Russia say the Egyptian side must be informed of any change in the terms and procedures at least two weeks before enforcing them, which did not happen. Therefore, the head of Egypt's plant quarantine authority Ahmed al-Attar said that the seizure of the shipments was “illegal.”

Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea met with the Russian ambassador in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the matter. She said that the Egyptian government’s representatives in Moscow, the Egyptian Embassy Commercial Office in Moscow and the Central Administration for Plant Quarantine, are currently making efforts to solve the problem.

According to one of the sources in the export company, Egypt’s diplomatic intervention was partially successful, securing the release of some oranges on Monday. 

Despite this diplomatic attention, Attar, the head of Egypt's plant quarantine authority, downplayed the severity of the issue, saying that only two shipments of oranges are being held by Russia. 

However, the source in the export company refuted this assertion, asking “Is it reasonable for the Trade and Industry Ministry to make an urgent intervention and meet the ambassador because of 50 tons of oranges?”