The agricultural sector is threatened by rampant fruit smuggling via border markets, said the deputy minister of agriculture in horticulture affairs. “Four years ago, the Ministry of Agriculture banned the import of all types of fruits other than bananas, pineapples and mangos, to help protect domestic farmers and producers,” IRNA quoted Mohammad Ali Tahmasbi as saying. He accused traders at border markets of sidestepping quarantine regulations, smuggling foreign fruits such as Chilean grapes, Egyptian oranges and Pakistani mandarins and possibly bringing plant pests and diseases into the country. “Fruit smuggling also endangers farmers’ job security,” the official added. Tahmasbi called on officials to tighten security measures in border markets to prevent fruit smuggling.
