UrBC, Yekaterinburg, March 28, 2018. No more potatoes will get imported to Sverdlovsk Region from the largest supplier country Egypt starting March 23, 2018.

As Sverdlovsk Region division of Rosselkhoznadzor explained to UrBC, the ban applies to potatoes from any part of the exporter country.

The ban was imposed after a brown rot agent had been detected in a shipment of Egyptian potatoes. According to the division, this quarantined shipment poses a threat to crop cultivation areas.

Rosselkhoznadzor’s local division also said Egypt was one of Sverdlovsk Region’s largest potato importers, followed by China.

According to Agrovestnik, 80.5% (26,380,000 kg) of all potatoes imported to Russia in the first half 2018 came from Egypt. 11% (3,590,000 kg) came from China.