China has banned imports of rapeseed oil from eight Russian companies due to GMO contamination.
2026/04/21
According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta ( According to a report by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Olga Zakharova, Head of the Department for Phytosanitary and Land Supervision, Quality Control, and Food Security at the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of the Russian Federation, announced at the Oilseeds Conference that in March 2026, the General Administration of Customs of China imposed a ban on imports of rapeseed oil from eight Russian enterprises.
The ban was triggered by the fact that the supplied products did not meet non-GMO standards. She pointed out that the Chinese market has stringent requirements for vegetable oil exports: producers must be registered in the Overseas Food Production Enterprise Registration Management System. CIFER registration requires possession of a phytosanitary certificate and a non-GMO certificate, as well as compliance with Chinese safety standards.
Zakharova stated that the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of the Russian Federation has launched an investigation into the presence of genetically modified organisms and issued a corresponding expert opinion. The agency is currently overseeing the plant’s corrective measures and preparing the necessary documentation to be submitted to China’s General Administration of Customs in order to resume exports to China. She emphasized that a key requirement for foreign trade operators is strict compliance with regulations on the control of genetically modified organisms when exporting oil and fat products to China.
Despite restrictions, Russia’s exports of vegetable oil to China continue to grow. According to data cited by Zakharova, as of On April 10, 2026, Russia’s vegetable oil exports reached 550,400 tonnes, up 19% from 2025. Specifically, soybean oil exports surged by 85% to 141,300 tonnes, sunflower oil increased by 56% to 253,300 tonnes, and rapeseed oil rose by 11% to 1.3 million tonnes. In 2026, Russia’s total exports of vegetable oil meals and cakes amounted to 551,700 tonnes, double the level recorded in 2025.
Zakharova also discussed the prospects of launching new product lines. In 2025, food-grade soybean meal was approved for entry into the Chinese market. In 2026, the primary task of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of the Russian Federation is to authorize the import of flaxseed meal and cake, expand the scope of grain product imports—including winter crops—and grant permission to import rapeseed from across the country.
According to Zakharova, there are already Twenty-four Russian grain products have been approved for import into China. Over the past decade, Russia’s exports of plant-based products to China have increased twelvefold, and 20 agreements have been signed with relevant Chinese authorities.
