At the Kordai road checkpoint in the Zhombyi Region, an attempt to import contaminated batches of plums and cherries from the Kyrgyz Republic was stopped. The hazardous produce was not allowed into Kazakhstan, and administrative measures were taken against the violators.
WHAT WAS FOUND DURING THE INSPECTION
According to the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the territorial inspection of the State Inspection Committee in the Agro-Industrial Complex (SIC in the AIC) for the Zhombyi Region identified quarantine objects during phytosanitary control at the Kordai road checkpoint.
In a batch of fresh plums weighing 800 kg, specialists detected Comstock mealybugs, and in two batches of cherries with a total weight of 1,450 kg, they found Asian fruit flies.
WHAT MEASURES WERE TAKEN
Following the phytosanitary control, all contaminated produce was deemed hazardous. It was not allowed for import or movement across Kazakhstan's territory and was returned to the senders in Kyrgyzstan.
Additionally, the authorised bodies imposed administrative measures with corresponding fines.
WHY THE PRODUCE WAS NOT ALLOWED THROUGH
As the MoA notes, the detected quarantine pests pose a serious threat to agriculture. They can affect a wide range of fruit crops, and their spread could cause significant damage to domestic horticultural farms.
Enhanced phytosanitary control at the state border continues to prevent the introduction and spread of dangerous quarantine objects, as well as to protect the country's phytosanitary safety.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Earlier, at the Nur Zholy phytosanitary checkpoint, inspectors stopped an attempt to import over 39.52 tonnes of contaminated regulated produce—peaches and carrots—from the People's Republic of China (PRC). The entire cargo was returned to the exporting country, and administrative measures were taken against the owners of the produce.
