Russia lifts agricultural exports to Africa to over 11 million tonnes in H1 2026

Shipments rise 40% as revenue reaches $2.9 billion

Russia exported more than 11 million tonnes of agricultural products to Africa in the first half of 2026, according to estimates from the federal Agroexport center reported by Interfax. Export volume was 1.4 times the level recorded in the same period of 2025, while revenue increased 35% to $2.9 billion.

The figures indicate that physical shipments grew slightly faster than their total value. Agroexport did not provide product-level prices, so the data do not establish whether the difference resulted from changes in commodity prices, the product mix or the geography of sales. They nevertheless show a substantial expansion of Russia’s position in African agricultural supply during the six-month period.

Wheat accounts for most of the volume

Wheat was overwhelmingly the largest product, accounting for 10.2 million tonnes. Russia also shipped around 234,000 tonnes of barley, more than 158,000 tonnes of soybean oil, over 95,000 tonnes of sunflower cake and meal, and more than 64,000 tonnes of beet pulp with added molasses.

Wheat therefore represented more than nine-tenths of the reported agricultural export volume. For African flour millers and grain importers, Russia’s expansion remains primarily a cereals story rather than a broad, evenly distributed increase across food categories. The smaller flows of vegetable oil, feed meal and beet pulp broaden the commercial relationship, but they remain limited compared with wheat.

This concentration also defines the competitive landscape. The European Union, Brazil and the United States are established suppliers to Africa’s food market, but the Russian increase is strongest in a product where Black Sea exporters can deliver very large bulk cargoes. Competition may differ sharply by segment: wheat buyers face a growing Russian presence, while suppliers of meat, processed foods and other agricultural products operate in markets not captured by the headline volume.

Egypt takes 44% of Russian exports

Egypt remained the leading African destination for Russian agricultural products. Shipments to the country rose from approximately 3.8 million tonnes in the first half of 2025 to 4.9 million tonnes in the same period of 2026. Egypt alone accounted for 44% of Russia’s agricultural export volume to Africa.

Sudan ranked second with an 11% share, after its purchases increased 1.6 times year on year. Kenya placed third with a 10% share and recorded the fastest reported growth: Russian shipments rose 9.5 times. Algeria and Libya completed the five largest destinations, although Agroexport did not disclose their individual volumes.

Russia supplied agricultural products to more than 40 of Africa’s 54 countries during the period. That reach gives exporters a wider base of customers, but the country distribution remains concentrated: Egypt, Sudan and Kenya together represented 65% of volume. For traders and importers, the next test will be whether the rapid growth in Kenya and the wider coverage of African markets can produce sustained business outside the large North African and Sudanese grain channels.