The Russian Federation lifted the ban on imports of Bosnian apples to this country, said Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Trade Minister Mirko Sarovic.

Visiting an apple plantation in Popovo field in Southern Bosnia, he said this news will surely make every fruit producer in the country happy.

“The Russian side demands that the Plant Protection Directorate of Bosnia and Herzegovina guarantees the phytosanitary requirements of the Russian Federation,” Sarovic said.

He announced the visit of the Russian delegation to Bosnia when they will confirm the exact amount of apples Bosnia plans to export to Russia.

“This will be important for us because both sides will determine the exact amount we plan to export,” he noted.

The Minister added that all the competent institutions in the Republika Srpska entity, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity and the Brcko District must pay special attention to prevention of any kind of abuse or smuggling.

In January 2018, the Russian Federation banned all imports of apples from Bosnia due to suspicion of re-export, which was the second case of suspicion of apple re-export in Russia in the past several years.