The Indian government has decided to challenge the ban on imports of Indian rice by Russia. Russia imposed the rice ban on May 1.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jairam Ramesh, said the ban violated a protocol signed by the two countries in February 2007.

The Russian agency on veterinary and phytosanitary surveillance issued a notification on April 27, 2007, imposing a ban on imports of rice from India due to the alleged detection of pesticides in the rice. 

Earlier last year, the agency issued a press release announcing the suspension of rice imports from Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the US and India due to the alleged detection of pesticides. Following efforts by India to revoke the suspension, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance visited India in February this year and negotiated a protocol that was signed by both countries. India exported 2,876.50 metric tonnes of rice
to Russia in 2005-06.

May 18, 2007