Russia extends ban on raw rice exports until year's end, prepares quota decision for processed rice

MOSCOW. June 24 (Interfax) - Russia has extended its ban on raw rice exports for another six months, through December 31, 2025, the government press service said.

The corresponding decree has been signed, the press service said. The decision was made to maintain a stable supply of this product on the domestic market.

A decree establishing a tariff quota for exports of certain types of processed rice and rice groats is also being prepared for signing. Exports of these products are prohibited until June 30, 2025.

As reported following a meeting of the subcommittee on customs-tariff and non-tariff regulation and foreign trade protection measures, the tariff quota for exports of husked rice and rice groats outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) may be set at 50,000 tonnes. The in-quota export customs duty rate is proposed at 0%, with an out-of-quota rate of 50%.

Seed rice has been exempted from the temporary restrictions following requests from partner countries for seed material supplies.

According to Rosstat data, Russia's 2024 rice harvest reached a record 1.259 million tonnes, up from 1.073 million tonnes the previous year.

Russia banned rice exports on July 1, 2022, due to an accident at the Fedorovsky waterworks in Krasnodar Territory, the country's main rice producing region, that April which reduced Russian rice production to 920,100 tonnes that year. The purpose of the ban was to keep the domestic market supplied with rice groats. The ban was in force until December 31, 2022, then extended every half year. The current ban runs through June 30, 2025.

The Agriculture Ministry expects the reconstructed Fedorovsky waterworks to become operational by 2027.