Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s Federal Consumer Protection Agency, imposed a ban on any import of crops from India, after the Khapra beetle was found in a shipment of sesame.

As a result, the tobacco industry is now facing losses of up to USD 40 million according to experts. Indian leaf comprises 12 per cent out of the 350 million kgs purchased annually by Russian tobacco companies and is used in almost every cigarette blend, especially in those of the low-end segment, said Nevo-Tabak CEO Oleg Amiranov in an interview with the news agency Interfax. Within a month cigarette plants are going to run out of their leaf stock and will have to replace Indian tobacco with material of different origin. Prices for cigarettes will then go up by 5 per cent at the very least, experts estimate. (vt)