Russia Zeroes Out Grain Export Duties Amid Black Sea Shipping Chaos
Russia has suspended export duties on wheat, corn, and barley until the end of 2026 in an effort to support its exporters who are struggling to transport grain due to repeated Ukrainian strikes on Black Sea port infrastructure. The move, which took effect September 1, eliminates a duty of 787.5 rubles per tonne on wheat exports and 406.5 rubles per tonne on corn.
The suspension of duties is intended to offset the impact of the shipping bottleneck caused by the attacks on Russian Black Sea export terminals, which have reduced usable capacity in the region. The Azov-Black Sea basin, which used to handle over five million tonnes of grain exports a month, now has sharply reduced usable capacity.
Industry sources say the decision reflects ample domestic supply colliding with a hard shipping constraint. The policy is unlikely to fully offset the shipping bottleneck, and trade analysts expect modestly higher farmgate prices for Russian growers while FOB export prices could soften by three to four dollars a tonne.