HANOI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will suspend import of five agricultural commodities from India due to high risk of Caryedon serratus (Olivier) infection, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
The decision was made after the MARD found that the products are likely to be contaminated with the insect which is subject to Vietnam's plant quarantine, reported Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper on Thursday.
The suspension will take effect in 60 days since Wednesday.
The five items included peanuts, cassia seeds, cocoa seeds, French bean seeds and tamarind.
The MARD's Plant Protection Department is urged to closely supervise the import of the above-mentioned products during the time as well as notify Indian relevant agencies of the issue for thorough remedies.
In 2016, Vietnam detected over 3,000 tons of peanuts and 24 tons of tamarind of Indian origin infected with living Oliver insect. Since the beginning of 2017, Vietnam has found other 380 tons of contaminated peanuts imported from the South Asian country, said the ministry.