HANOI: Vietnam would stop importing peanuts from India after a recent shipment contained a foreign insect pest that authorities say could cause serious damage to local plants.
An official statement from the agriculture ministry said officials have found live groundnut pest Caryedon serratus Olivier in the shipment, which reached Hai Phong in northern Vietnam in early January.The insect pest is ranked among seriously dangerous ones.
The ministry issued a ban of further imports on February 6. It will take effect in early April.Officials will ask relevant Indian agencies to deal with the problem.
According to news website The Hindu, among the insect pests attacking groundnut especially during storage, Caryedon serratus Olivier is the only species known to infest both kernels and intact pods.
