Measures tightened against virus-infested tomato seeds

ANKARA

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has intensified efforts to prevent the entry of virus-infected tomato seeds that pose a severe threat to agriculture in the country.

Increasing inspections and security measures at border crossings, officials have carried out six separate operations over the past 45 days to intercept contaminated seeds that could have entered the country, primarily from Asian nations.

Investigations revealed that these seeds carried the Tomato mottle mosaic virus (ToMMV) and the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), both of which have the potential to devastate crop production and pose health risks to consumers.

Recent seizures include virus-infected seeds originating from China on Jan. 10, Jan. 23, Feb. 10, Feb. 13 and Feb. 15, as well as from Thailand on Feb.10. All intercepted seeds were promptly returned to their countries of origin to prevent their spread within the country.

These dangerous plant viruses were first detected in North and Central America in the 2010s, with significant outbreaks recorded in Mexico in 2013 and the United States in 2018. 

The viruses are notorious for causing severe damage to vegetable and fruit production, leading to major agricultural losses.

In 2021, an outbreak in Israel also spread rapidly across the country’s greenhouses, bringing large-scale greenhouse activities to a near standstill.

Last month, authorities also destroyed tons of diseased potatoes at a port in the southern city of Mersin after a plant illness was detected in a shipload of potatoes.

The potatoes were initially exported to Tunisia but were later returned to Türkiye — authorities received an application regarding the products and took immediate action to conduct inspections, which revealed that the products were unfit for consumption.