Russia says Vietnam asked it to temporarily suspend wheat exports

MOSCOW - Vietnam has asked Russia's agriculture safety watchdog to temporarily suspend issuing wheat export certificates, Yulia Melano, spokeswoman for watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, said on Thursday.

A combine harvests wheat in a field of the Solgonskoye private farm outside the Siberian village of Talniki in Krasnoyarsk region, Russia September 7, 2018. Photo: Reuters

Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter and Vietnam is a major buyer of its wheat but it slashed its purchases significantly a year ago after finding imports containing thistle seed.

"Rosselkhoznadzor received an official letter from the Vietnamese side requesting a temporary suspension of the issuance of phytosanitary certificates to wheat exporters," Melano said.

"It is a normal practice for importing countries to carry out additional checks," she said.

The watchdog is currently working with representatives of the Vietnam to resume Russian wheat supplies, she added.

After a similar notice a year ago, Vietnam did not buy Russian wheat between November, 2018 and June, 2019.

It imported 229,100 tonnes of wheat from Russia in July and August this year.

Additional talks on the issue will be held on October 20-22, when representatives of the Russian service plan to attend the unloading of a Russian grain supply in Vietnam, Melano said.