Russia’s Agriculture Ministry focuses on importing giraffes from Africa amid grain export problems

Russia’s grain exports continue to fall sharply amid problems affecting ports in the Azov-Black Sea basin. According to the Russian Grain Union, Russia shipped only 418 thsd tons of grain from September 1 to 10, 5.9 times less than during the same period last year. Wheat exports plunged 6.5-fold to 294 thsd tons, while barley shipments fell 7.3-fold to 43 thsd tons. The number of countries importing Russian wheat dropped to eight from 25 a year earlier.

Shipments through Black Sea ports have virtually stopped. In the first ten days of September 2025, Novorossiysk exported 905 thsd tons of grain, while this year the main flows shifted to Ust-Luga, Vysotsk and Astrakhan. Shipments through Rostov-on-Don fell to just 5 thsd tons from 309 thsd tons a year earlier. Weak demand from exporters is already putting pressure on the domestic market, with producer wheat prices falling to around $104/t, the lowest level in ten years.

Despite these figures, Russian Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said there were no problems with grain exports. According to her, Russia is developing alternative routes through the Baltic, the Caspian Sea and the Far East, while also discussing with China the possibility of transiting grain through its territory to Southeast Asian markets.

Against this backdrop, Russia’s Agriculture Ministry has been working for a second year on resuming giraffe imports from South Africa. Lut said the ministry is seeking a way to arrange quarantine procedures and deliver the animals to Russian zoos. Imports of giraffes and other animals from South Africa have been restricted since 2012 due to foot-and-mouth disease, while finding a suitable quarantine facility remains the main obstacle.

Tags: Russia, grain