17 tons of Vietnamese rice with weed were not allowed in St. Petersburg

A shipment of red rice weighing 17 tons was not allowed to enter St. Petersburg. The cargo, which arrived from Vietnam, was stopped at the city seaport, the press service of the North-Western Interregional Rosselkhoznadzor Administration reports.

The inspectors found in the product the seeds of a harmful plant, Ipomoea dimple. Its presence was confirmed by a laboratory examination, writes 78.ru .

As noted in the department, in St. Petersburg, for the first time, this particular type of weed was found in imported rice. Due to the threat of proliferation, the import of the entire batch to Russia was banned.

Ipomoea yamata is a dangerous quarantine facility. The weed grows very quickly and wraps itself around other crops and literally "suffocates" them. One plant can produce up to 15 thousand seeds, which remain in the soil for years.