In an announcement of the Tajikistan Department for Quarantine and Inspection, Jamshid Nasirov stated that Tajikistan halted fruit imports from China because the fruit contained elements that are harmful to people's health.
Tajikistan agricultural specialist Leonid Kholod explained: "Chinese fruit always looks great, but the flavor is far inferior to Tajikistan fruits. In addition, Chinese fruit does not meet the food safety standards in Tajikistan. The pesticide that Chinese farmers use does not decompose. It is impossible to remove from fruit and vegetables."
"Instead of spending an enormous amount of energy for the inspection of Chinese fruit, it is far easier to simply prohibit fruit import from China. This is also beneficial for the fruit industry of Tajikistan," said a government spokesperson.
Tajikistan used to import around 250 tons of Chinese fruit per year, until 2018. Since then, Tajikistan has increased fruit imports from Turkey, Russia, Ecuador, Pakistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
