Russia wants to ban durum wheat exports

The Russian Ministry of Agriculture proposes to impose a ban on durum wheat exports from December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. A draft of the relevant government decree prepared by the Ministry is available on regulation.gov.ru.

“To impose a temporary ban on the export of durum wheat (codes 1001 11 and 1001 19 of the Unified Commodity Nomenclature for Foreign Economic Activity of the Eurasian Economic Union) from the Russian Federation from December 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, inclusive,” the document says.

It is envisaged that the ban will not apply to the supply of this wheat to Belarus within the framework of the Union State, as international humanitarian aid to foreign countries based on decisions of the Russian government, under international intergovernmental agreements, international transit transportation starting and ending outside the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as the movement of this wheat between parts of the territory of the Russian Federation through the territories of foreign countries.

Other exceptions are also provided for.

Durum wheat is used mainly for the production of pasta. Its harvest in the Russian Federation is 700-800 thousand tons per year, with the main producers being the Altai Territory (up to 80%), Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Saratov, Samara and Volgograd regions.

Tags: Russia, wheat, restrictions