Specialists from a testing laboratory in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region have detected a dangerous virus in a batch of tomatoes imported from Uzbekistan. The total shipment weighed approximately 20 tons.

According to Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), the inspection revealed the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), a member of the Tobamovirus group. This pathogen can cause yield losses of 30–70% in tomatoes and peppers.

The regulatory authority stated that the contaminated batch cannot be allowed for import. The shipment must be returned or destroyed in accordance with established procedures.

Experts note that such viruses spread rapidly and pose a serious threat to agriculture, so control over imported products remains particularly strict.

This is not the first such incident: earlier, 9.5 tons of plums infected with monilial rot—a dangerous fungus that quickly destroys stone fruit crops—were sent back from Novosibirsk to Uzbekistan.

Source: podrobno.uz