Russia wants to buy bananas and papaya from India, discussion intensified after the deal between America and Ecuador

Russia has started purchasing bananas from India amid differences with its previous banana supplier Ecuador, as part of a change in trade relations due to geopolitical tensions. The move comes in the wake of Ecuador’s decision to exchange Russian-made military equipment for sophisticated weapons from the United States. In January, Russia received the first consignment of bananas from India, which was to be delivered at the end of February. Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian agricultural watchdog, highlighted that the volume of Indian banana exports to the Russian market will increase, indicating India’s increasing dependence on banana imports.

India, known for its substantial banana production, has also shown willingness to export additional fruits such as mango, pineapple, papaya and guava to Russia. Rosselkhoznadzor has recently stopped banana imports from five Ecuadorian companies due to pests being found. However, Ecuador’s food safety authority disputed this, saying that only a small portion of the shipments to Russia contained insects, posing no significant threat. Although Russian officials have not directly linked the decision to import bananas from India to diplomatic friction involving Ecuador and the US, Russia’s approach to limiting food imports from countries with which it has disagreements is well-documented. Is.

The backdrop to these developments is a deal criticized by Moscow in which Ecuador agreed to transfer Russian military hardware to the US, a move that Russia views as support against Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. The exchange is part of a larger geopolitical chess game, in which Russia is trying to diversify its trade partnerships amid Western sanctions related to its military actions in Ukraine.