According to the latest data, grain exports fell by about 2.4 times in February.
According to statistics, Russia exported about 2.3 million tons of grain in February.
The reduction in supply volumes affected almost all grain crops. For example, wheat exports fell from 4.4 million tons to 1.9 million tons, barley exports fell from 545 thousand tons to 181 thousand tons, and corn exports fell from 877 thousand tons to 166 thousand tons.
In total, since the beginning of the season, the Russian Federation has exported about 39 million tons of grain, of which a significant portion is wheat: 34 million tons.
Which countries buy Russian grain?
The main importers include countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. At the same time, it is emphasized that Russian grain exports to all these countries have noticeably decreased.
For example, 919 thousand tons of wheat were shipped to Egypt in February, while in February 2024 this figure was 1.17 million tons.
Exports to Saudi Arabia decreased by 53% and amounted to 134 thousand tons.
To Turkey – decreased several times, from 486 thousand tons to 63 thousand tons.
It is noted that new countries have begun to purchase Russian grain this season. For example, these are Sri Lanka, Rwanda and Burundi. Last year, there were no grain deliveries to these countries.
By the way, Saudi Arabia is not only an important buyer of Russian wheat, but also one of the main importers of barley.
It purchased about 69 thousand tons of barley in February of this year. Here we also see a reduction in the volume of deliveries: by 48% compared to February last year.
At the same time, the Russian Federation sent 56 thousand tons of barley to Libya this year, which is 35% higher than last year, and 27 thousand tons to Israel. It is emphasized that there were no deliveries there last year.
As for corn, at the moment it is purchased only by countries such as Iran and Turkey. At the same time, with regard to this crop, it should be noted that the volume of exports is significantly lower than last year.
In general, the volume of wheat deliveries abroad in February of this year was less than in February over the past 5 years on average.
At the same time, analysts expect that the situation may worsen further in March and the volume of grain exports will not exceed 1.5-1.7 million tons. This may be the lowest value since March 2021, when only 1.02 million tons were shipped.
The main reasons for the decline in exports may be the low harvest last year in Russia and low world grain prices.
Logistical difficulties also play a role.
