ISLAMABAD: Russia has lifted restrictions on the import of potatoes from Punjab, allowing 101 exporters to resume shipments from July 7 after reviewing Pakistan’s phytosanitary control system, Pakistan’s trade officer in Moscow said on Tuesday.

The decision to lift the ban was formally communicated to Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research. However, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance has barred two Pakistani exporters from exporting potatoes to Russia, citing their failure to comply with the required phytosanitary standards.

According to the trade officer’s letter, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance had informed Pakistani authorities that potato imports from Punjab would be permitted, subject to guarantees provided by Pakistan’s Department of Plant Protection.

The Russian authority said the decision followed a review of the list of Pakistani potato exporters and their planned export volumes from Punjab. However, it excluded two exporters, alleging they had violated phytosanitary quarantine requirements of the Eurasian Economic Union member states while supplying potatoes to Russia in 2025.

The Russian authority also recalled that it had earlier allowed imports from three Pakistani potato exporters from April 8. Those exporters were Chase International, Zahid Kinnow Grading and Waxing Plant, and National Fruit, according to the letter.

Pakistan’s trade mission has requested the Ministry of Food Security to ensure implementation of the Russian decision.

Pakistan had raised the issue of the ban with the Federal Service for Vet­erinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance in February, submitting pest status records and laboratory diagnostic reports confirming the absence of the identified pests and pathogens in the potato crop.

The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Company (PHDEC) teams have held virtual B2B meetings to help Pakistani exporters fully avail of this emerging opportunity.

It is also worth mentioning that Pakistan was assessing export routes to Central Asian states through China and Iran following the closure of the Torkham border. Production this season reached 12 million metric tons, with around 4 million metric tons identified as surplus for export to Central Asia and other destinations.

Pakistan is currently witnessing a bumper potato crop, with production estimated at around 12 million tonnes. This new market access will help absorb surplus stocks, stabilise domestic potato prices, support farming communities, and generate valuable foreign exchange earnings.

In May 2025, Russia imposed restrictions on potatoes from Punjab, citing the alleged presence of the Potato Tuber Moth and Tomato Wilt virus.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026