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Georgian agricultural products are being scrutinized by Russian phytosanitary experts. (Photo published by the Ministry of Agriculture.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–A group of four experts from Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Rosselkhoznadzor, Monday arrived in Georgia to examine the quality of fruit and other products that are exported to the Russian market.

The Russian experts will now join together with specialists from Georgia’s National Food Agency and go on an inspection tour to Kakheti, a region in the east of Georgia.

There they will examine potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage, eggplant, cherry, apricots, peaches, plums, persimmons, kiwi, and berries which are being prepared for export to Russia.

Rosselkhoznadzor’s experts will examine the goods to make sure that there is no food safety risk involved.

After visiting Kakheti, the group will go on to examine products in Gori, a town to the west of the capital.

In November, 2013,  Rosselkhoznadzor sent inspectors to examine citrus fruits in Georgia that was being prepared to be exported to Russia. Last year, Georgia exported more than 12,000 tons of citrus fruits to its northern neighbor.

After the change of government in October 2012, the new coalition started talks with Russia to restore export of Georgian wine and agricultural products to the Russian market, beginning in the end of 2012.

In the first five months of 2014, Georgia exported 15,641,383 bottles of wine to Russia, which is 68 percent of the country’s total wine export.