Russia increases revenue from agricultural exports to Turkey 1.5-fold in Q1 to $1.1 bln - Agroexport
MOSCOW. May 20 (Interfax) - Russia supplied agricultural products worth over $1.1 billion to Turkey in Q1 2026, up 1.5-fold year-on-year, the Agroexport federal center said.
"Turkey maintains its leading position in the list of the largest buyers of domestic agricultural products. Among the agricultural goods exported to its market, wheat leads: over three months, its shipments increased 4.3-fold to over $400 million. Second place is occupied by sunflower oil at almost $340 million, which approximately corresponds to the figure from a year earlier. Corn rounds out the top three. Its shipments increased 6.5-fold to $88 million," Agroexport said.
In addition, barley shipments increased sixteen-fold to $56 million, sugar beet pulp shipments rose by a third to $14 million, shipments of molasses were up 2.3-fold to $11 million, and shipments of rice increased to $3 million from just $1,600 in January-March 2025.
"Russia and Turkey complement each other well in agricultural trade, and the geographical proximity and capacity of the Turkish market open up wide opportunities for supplies of domestic products to both B2B and B2C segments. In addition, Turkey is a major player and an important hub in trade with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa," the head of Agroexport, Ilya Ilyushin, was quoted as saying.
Turkey remains a key sales market for Russian grain. According to Kseniya Bolomatova, the executive director of the Union of Grain Exporters and Producers who was also cited in Agroexport's statement, one of the main factors for the increase in grain exports this agricultural season (July 2025-June 2026) was the recovery of demand from Turkey after a reduction in purchases in the 2024-2025 season. "From July 2025 to March 2026, 5.9 million tonnes of wheat were supplied to Turkey, which is 2.5 times more than in the same period of the previous season - 2.4 million tonnes," she said.
The further dynamics of supplies will be determined by the harvest in Turkey itself, she said. "Wheat forecasts are favorable, but it is necessary to take into account that Turkey is the largest grain processor and flour exporter, so in addition to meeting internal food and feed needs, it needs an additional stable supply of high-quality grain at competitive prices," she said.
The corn harvest in Turkey next season may decline due to a reduction in sown area, as farmers choose crops requiring less water, she said. "This is already stimulating active purchases, including thanks to tariff relaxations: in April, a quota for corn imports of 3 million tonnes was introduced until the end of July 2026, under which imports will be subject to a reduced duty of 5% against the base rate of 130%," Bolomatova said.
