Moscow is creating alternative routes for grain shipments as maritime exports from Russia and Ukraine decline.
On Tuesday, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Ukraine for the blockade of grain exports in the Black Sea.
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“The situation with grain supplies through the Black Sea has become considerably more complicated; the cause of this was the actions of the Ukrainian side,” Peskov said, adding that Russia is creating alternative transportation routes for its grain products to third countries.
Peskov recalled that Turkey proposed a cease-fire in the Black Sea during a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Bishkek. This issue “subsequently figured in diplomatic correspondence” between the two countries.
Many countries in the Global South, especially in Africa, depend on grain supplies from Russia and Ukraine, a country that was once considered one of the breadbaskets of the European continent.
Russia has intensified its attacks in recent weeks against port terminals in Ukraine’s Odesa region on the Black Sea in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s most important ports on the same sea.
As a result, grain prices on the international market continue to rise because of the decline in maritime grain exports from Russia and Ukraine.
Currently, Russia categorically refuses to restore the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was in effect from mid-2022 to 2023 but was rejected by Moscow, which cited the failure to comply with agreements concerning the Russian side and Kiev’s military use of the maritime corridor.
Russia + Ukraine #wheat exports in September: just 2.7 mmt.
That would be the lowest combined volume since 2010/11, when Russian grain exports were fully banned.
SovEcon estimates Russia at 1.8 mmt, down 63% YoY, and Ukraine at 0.9 mmt, down 57%.
No bans this time. The grain… pic.twitter.com/8pHzBrkvgU
— Andrey Sizov (@sizov_andre) September 17, 2026
Russia Zeroes Out Grain Export Tariffs
On Monday, the Russian Agriculture Ministry announced that its country has zeroed out export duties on grain crops through the end of 2026.
The “floating” export tariff on wheat, barley and corn has been scrapped until Dec. 31, 2026. Meanwhile, duties on sunflower oil and sunflower meal will be capped at the levels set for August 2026: 7,748 rubles (US$92.13) per metric ton for sunflower oil and 312 rubles (US$3.71) per metric ton for sunflower meal.
The decision aims to support domestic producers and exporters of grain and oilseed crops amid the ongoing restructuring of export logistics.
“These measures will reduce costs for market participants, make sales conditions more predictable, and support the industry’s export potential,” the Agriculture Ministry said.
“We expect the temporary adjustment of export duties to lower market players’ costs, sustain production economics and ensure stable supplies of Russian agricultural goods,” Maxim Borovoy, deputy minister of the Agriculture Ministry, said earlier.
Russia introduced export duty mechanisms for grain, sunflower oil and sunflower meal in 2021. The rates are calculated based on the difference between the base price and the indicative price.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: Xinhua – EFE
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