vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #614 / Special reports / Reading article...

About 50 train cars with fruits and vegetables from China have been stuck at the Grodekovo railway station in southern Primorye since April 1. Railway officials blame private entrepreneurs for the hold up.

The owner of the cargo was informed of the arrival of the wagons but did not provide the necessary documents for cargo clearance at customs, a spokesman for Vladivostok’s department of the Far Eastern Railways Alexander Artamonov said. The railway station administration is investigating the situation and looking for ways to resolve it, he said, Ria Novosti news agency reported.

Meanwhile, according to the changes introduced on April 1 by the railway department, the cargo from China can be received by Russian consignees only after the bags are reloaded into Russian freight cars, Primorye television channel reported. To reload the cargo, the railway officials charge $1,000 a wagon, the television said.

According to Artamonov, during the reloading of wagons the railway administration revealed many violations committed by the Chinese side – the packing of perishable fruits and vegetables and the marking of the goods were inappropriate. “Fruits and vegetables from China are poorly packed which results in a loss of quality and a violation of sanitary norms,” Artamonov stressed.

Meanwhile, this halt of vegetable traffic has led to increases in prices for this produce at local markets. Prices for cucumbers, tomatoes, pears, apples may vary from 60 rubles to 100 rubles ($4) per kilogram.