Russia keeps wheat and barley export duties at zero, sets corn tariff at 232.6 rubles
Russia will maintain zero export duties on wheat and barley from July 29 through August 4, while imposing a corn duty of 232.6 rubles per tonne. The weekly rates are calculated under the country’s grain damper mechanism using registered export contract prices.
Zero rates extended through August 4
Russia will keep its export duties on wheat and barley at zero from July 29 through August 4, while setting the duty on corn at 232.6 rubles per tonne, Interfax reported, citing the Russian Agriculture Ministry. The ministry revised rates that had been published earlier for the same weekly period.
The decision preserves duty-free access to foreign markets for Russian wheat and barley exporters during the opening phase of the new crop marketing season. Corn shipments will face a modest additional charge, creating a different cost position for traders handling the three grains covered by Russia’s floating-duty system.
Indicative prices move in different directions
The rates were calculated from indicative prices of $228.4 per tonne for wheat, $191 per tonne for barley and $232.2 per tonne for corn. In the previous calculation period, the corresponding prices were $229.1, $186 and $231.3 per tonne. Wheat’s reference declined by $0.7 per tonne, while the barley and corn indicators increased by $5 and $0.9 per tonne, respectively.
These indicative prices are based on export contracts registered on the Moscow Exchange. Their weekly movement feeds directly into the duty calculation and can therefore change exporters’ costs even when physical-market conditions and freight rates remain unchanged. For international buyers, the zero wheat and barley rates leave the duty component out of Russian offer prices for the stated period. Corn exporters, by contrast, must absorb the 232.6-ruble charge or reflect it in their bids.
Wheat duty has mostly remained at zero since April
Russia’s wheat export duty has been zero since April 22, apart from the week of July 3-10, when it reached 370.1 rubles per tonne. Duties on barley and corn had remained at zero since April 15. The newly announced corn rate therefore marks a return of the charge for that commodity, while wheat and barley retain their zero-duty status.
Russia introduced its grain damper mechanism on June 2, 2021. It applies floating export duties to wheat, corn and barley, with the revenue intended to support agricultural producers through subsidies. The weekly duty equals 70% of the difference between the applicable base price and the indicative price. Current base prices are 18,000 rubles per tonne for wheat and 17,875 rubles per tonne for both barley and corn. The latest calculation keeps the immediate policy burden lowest for wheat and barley exporters, while showing that even relatively small changes in the corn indicator can reactivate the tariff.
