Following recent attacks by Ukraine on Russian ships in the Sea of Azov, Russia’s Agriculture Ministry announced it was preparing to reroute grain shipments through alternative ports, according to a World Grain report citing a Moscow Times article.
Noting that the Sea of Azov route handled about 25% of Russia grain exports, the ministry said on 14 July that export volumes and domestic food supplies would not be impacted by using other transport options, the report on the same date said.
“Given Russia’s significant capacity for trans-shipping agricultural cargo in various regions, supply logistics will be redirected, if necessary,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine’s grain infrastructure – something it had done since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022 – continued, World Grain wrote.
In June, Reuters reported that a recent increase in Russian attacks on Ukrainian seaports and vessels could cut monthly grain shipments by as much as a third.
At the time of the report, Russia – the world’s biggest wheat exporter – had just started harvesting this year’s crop.
According to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, Russian wheat production was estimated at 88.5M tonnes, with exports projected at around 47M tonnes in the 2026/27 marketing year.
