MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will temporarily ban rice imports from Thailand as of May 1, a Russian food safety watchdog said Thursday.

The Rosselkhoznadzor agency said in a press release the ban will be imposed following the seizure of a contaminated 1,200-ton rice batch from Bangkok in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk last December.

High levels of pesticides and genetically modified ingredients were detected last year in other batches of rice imported from South East Asia and the Indian subcontinent, prompting Russia to suspend all rice imports in December, regardless of the country of origin.

Russia has now lifted the embargo, but warned rice-exporting countries failing to comply with its food safety regulations that it will again ban or restrict supplies unless they take adequate control measures.