Russia sets 5% export duties on peas, chickpeas and lentils

From January 1, the export duty on peas, chickpeas and lentils will be permanently effective in Russia. It will apply to deliveries outside the EAEU and will amount to 5% of the customs value, according to a statement on the russian government’s website. “This will allow to support a rational ratio of exports of pulses crops and domestic consumption,” the document says. Until the end of 2024, flexible export duties are applied to the export of pulses: depending on the ruble exchange rate, they range from 4% to 7%.

“Despite the good harvest of grain pulses according to Rosstat, their export this year is very difficult for a number of reasons,” Dmitry Rylko, general director of the Institute for Agrarian Market Conjuncture (IKAR), told Agroinvestor. – In particular, supplies of peas to China are failing, and chickpeas are not going well on export”. According to him, the duty of 5% in any case will have a negative impact on the market – in conditions of tough competition with Canadians and Australians world prices are unlikely to recover.

According to IKAR, in 2024, Russia had record sowing areas under all pulses, and some of them showed record yields. For example, pea harvests amounted to just under 4 million tons – the second largest volume in history. The production of lentils and chickpeas was record-breaking – just under 600,000 tons and 800,000 tons, respectively.

However, exports of pulses lagged far behind last year’s figures. Thus, pea exports in the first half of the season did not exceed 700 thousand tons (1.8 million tons in the same period of 2023/24 agricultural year). The pea market is affected by the extremely low level of supplies to China: if in the first half of last season 827 thousand tons were shipped to this country, in the current season – only about 120 thousand tons. Similarly for chickpeas – 170 thousand tons against 300 thousand tons and lentils – 70 thousand tons against 200 thousand tons. Thus, significant volumes of grain pulses remain unrealized.

Tags: pea, Russia, chickpea, lentil