Russia boosts agricultural exports to Africa 19% to over $7 bln in 2024 - Agroexport center
MOSCOW. March 10 (Interfax) - Russia boosted exports of agricultural products to Africa 19% year-on-year to over $7 billion in 2024, the Agriculture Ministry's Agroexport center said.
Russia shipped products to 45 countries on the continent. Egypt was the largest buyer, increasing imports from Russia 21% in value terms. Egypt is a leading importer of Russian wheat, and also imports sunflower and soybean oil, legumes, flax seeds, molasses, yeast, and other products from Russia.
Algeria, up 1.5% in value terms; Libya, down 18%; Kenya, up 33%; and Tunisia, up 28%, round out the top five importers of Russian food in 2024.
Russia's principal agricultural exports to Africa are grain crops, namely wheat, barley and corn, which jointly account for 87% of supplies in value terms. African countries are also among the significant purchasers of oil and fat products, meat and fish. Shipments of dairy products jumped many times over in 2024.
Africa is increasing its share of wheat imports from Russia, Rusagrotrans analytical center head Igor Pavensky was quoted as saying in the Agroexport statement. African countries already account for over 50% of the total volume of wheat exports from Russia in the current season from July 2024 to June 2025, he said.
"From July to February, 18 million tonnes were imported. The increase has occurred amid the rise in supplies to Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, as well as to Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ethiopia and other countries," Pavensky said.
Meanwhile, the share of African countries has remained at around 40% overall over the past five years, he said.
"In the 2023-2024 season, 21.2 million tonnes of wheat were imported to African countries, which was 38% of the overall volume of wheat exports from Russia and became a record high. In the previous season of 2022-2023, 17.6 million tonnes of wheat were imported to the continent, and in 2021-2022, 10.6 million tonnes," Pavensky said.