Russia’s grain exports from its Baltic Sea terminals have increased by 30 per cent this year, with nearly half going to African countries, data from the Federal Centre for Agriculture Products Safety Evaluation showed on Monday.
Russia, the world’s leading wheat exporter, is expanding its Baltic Sea ports to diversify its agricultural exports and reduce dependence on Black Sea routes, where shipping infrastructure has been targeted in attacks by Ukraine.
Grain exports from Baltic Sea ports this year totalled 1.3 million tonnes by November 12, the data showed, with 42 per cent going to Africa. Wheat accounted for 93 per cent of the total grain exports from these ports.
In Africa, the grain from the Baltic Sea ports was shipped to Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, Algeria and Cameroon.
In the past few years, Russia has opened two new major ports, Vysotsky and Lugaport, in the Gulf of Finland, near the city of St. Petersburg. These ports have the capacity to handle up to 15 million metric tonnes per year.
Russia plans to export 50 million tonnes of grain in total in the 2024/25 marketing season (July-June).
However, exports from ports across the country overall have been slow so far, at 16.8 million tonnes since July 1 to October 31, according to data from agricultural transport company Rusagrotrans, due to an abundant global harvest and low prices.
(Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Susan Fenton)
