Russia cuts Chinese potato imports to $1.8 million in August
Russia reduced potato imports from China to $1.8 million in August, nearly 2.5 times below July and about 25% lower year on year. The decline followed stronger domestic harvesting after record bilateral trade in 2025.
August purchases fall sharply
Russia imported $1.8 million worth of potatoes from China in August, according to Chinese customs data reported by Profile. The monthly value was about 25% below the level recorded in the same month a year earlier and nearly 2.5 times lower than in July. The decline marks a reversal from the elevated foreign purchases triggered by a shortage in Russia’s domestic market.
Despite the contraction, Russia remained among the five largest buyers of Chinese potatoes in August. Malaysia ranked first with imports worth $4.2 million, followed by Vietnam at $3.6 million and Hong Kong at $1.9 million, Profile reported, citing RIA Novosti. Russia’s $1.8 million total placed it close to Hong Kong but well behind the two leading Southeast Asian destinations.
Record trade followed a weaker Russian harvest
The August decline follows a record year for potato trade between Russia and China. In 2025, Russia purchased 167,800 tonnes of Chinese potatoes valued at $62.7 million. The volume was 3.6 times higher than a year earlier and was the largest ever recorded in bilateral potato trade, according to Profile.
Those purchases increased partly because Russian potato production had fallen by almost 12% in 2024, to 17.83 million tonnes. The smaller crop contributed to higher prices and increased demand for foreign supplies. China became one of Russia’s key suppliers, with a substantial share of its shipments destined for Siberia and the Russian Far East, where geography gives Chinese exporters a practical advantage over suppliers serving western Russia.
Domestic harvesting curbs seasonal demand
Market conditions changed as the new Russian crop entered distribution. Seasonal potato imports had virtually stopped by the summer amid active domestic harvesting. By 10 August, farms in the organized sector had collected about 560,000 tonnes, an increase of 84,000 tonnes from a year earlier. Average yields rose to 30 centners per hectare from 25 centners per hectare.
The stronger early harvest helps explain the steep month-on-month fall in purchases from China. For Russian growers and wholesalers, a larger flow of newly harvested potatoes reduces the need for imported product during the domestic season. For Chinese suppliers, the figures show that the Russian market can expand rapidly when local output is tight but contract just as quickly once domestic availability improves.
2026 production outlook remains uncertain
The longer-term supply picture is less clear. AB-Centre forecasts that Russia’s 2026 potato harvest could decline by 11.5% to about 7.5 million tonnes because of reduced planting area. That estimate is not directly comparable with the 17.83 million-tonne figure for total production in 2024 without further detail on statistical coverage, but it points to continued concern about cultivated area and future commercial supply.
If the forecast reduction materializes, import demand could return after the domestic harvesting window, particularly in regions where Chinese potatoes already have established routes. For now, the August customs data indicate that improved seasonal availability inside Russia has displaced part of the extraordinary import demand seen in 2025.
