Russian flaxseed processors are expecting a real breakthrough this year: processing volumes could increase ninefold compared to last season.
The final volume is expected to reach 370,000 tons. However, the area sown to this crop will decrease slightly – by approximately 100,000 hectares, according to the industry union.
At the same time, processing companies believe that limiting the export of oilseed flax is crucial for successful further development.
In particular, experts believe that further strengthening of flax export duties is necessary. This will prevent the outflow of large volumes of raw materials abroad and replace them with the export of processed products with high added value.
Analysts report that Russia’s processing capacity is very large and has significant reserves. This allows for the processing of significantly more than the current volume.
It is for this reason that market participants plan to further tighten restrictions on flax exports. It’s worth recalling that last October, the duty on oilseed flax was introduced at 10%. Before that, it was at zero.
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture explicitly stated that this was intended to stimulate growth in domestic processing. However, processing companies believe that this rate is not high enough and does not fulfill its intended protective function, and therefore the rate should be further increased.
Experts note that duties on rapeseed, which currently stand at approximately 30%, could serve as a benchmark for the increase.
Furthermore, market participants see significant potential in increasing exports of finished products. For example, China and Russia are currently discussing the possibility of supplying flaxseed meal to China.
Nevertheless, China is currently actively purchasing primarily oilseed flax.
For example, from September 2025 to March 2026, it purchased 750,000 tons. This is a 30% increase compared to the same period last year, analysts emphasize.
Other traditional buyers also sharply increased their purchases: Kazakhstan more than doubled (+236%), Turkey by 140%, and Belarus by 91%.
Thus, we see that flaxseed exports are currently very active. Reducing these volumes while gradually increasing supplies of processed products is therefore a long-term goal that is unlikely to be fully achieved in the coming years.
