Russia Raises Wheat and Corn Export Duties From September 9
Russia’s weekly grain tariff calculation raises the wheat export duty to 1,170.3 rubles per tonne and the corn duty to 898.1 rubles from September 9. The increase comes as the industry awaits a government decree that would suspend duties on wheat, barley and corn until December 31, 2026.
Wheat duty rises by almost 50%
Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture has calculated a wheat export duty of 1,170.3 rubles per tonne from September 9, according to ZOL. The rate is up from 787.5 rubles per tonne in force through September 8, an increase of 382.8 rubles, or almost 49%.
The export duty on corn will rise more sharply, from 406.5 rubles to 898.1 rubles per tonne. That is an increase of 491.6 rubles and more than doubles the charge faced by exporters. The barley duty will remain at zero.
The new calculations are based on indicative prices of $228 per tonne for wheat, $188.7 for barley and $221.9 for corn. In the preceding calculation period, the respective prices were $228.6, $189.3 and $220.6 per tonne. The change in duties therefore does not simply track the small weekly movements in dollar-denominated indicative prices; the formula also depends on ruble-based thresholds and the parameters of Russia’s grain damper.
Pending suspension creates uncertainty
The scheduled increases come against a potentially decisive regulatory change. A customs subcommission has approved the elimination of export duties on wheat, barley and corn until December 31, 2026, ZOL reported. However, the corresponding government decree had not yet been signed at the time of publication.
Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said the ministry expected the decree shortly and that the measures would in any event apply from September 1. That creates an unusual gap between the published weekly tariff calculation and the planned zero-duty regime. Until the decree is formally issued and its application clarified, grain exporters must account for the announced rates in shipment economics and contract execution.
If the suspension takes legal effect retroactively from September 1, the September 9 rates may have little or no practical impact. If implementation is delayed, exporters of wheat and corn would face higher costs in the interim. The difference matters for cargoes priced on narrow margins, particularly when sellers are competing for demand in price-sensitive international markets.
Implications for Black Sea offers
Russia introduced its grain damper on June 2, 2021. The mechanism applies floating export duties to wheat, corn and barley, with the collected revenue returned to agricultural producers through subsidies. Rates are recalculated weekly using indicators derived from export contracts registered on the Moscow Exchange.
The duty equals 70% of the difference between the base price and the indicative price. Current base prices are 18,000 rubles per tonne for wheat and 17,875 rubles per tonne for barley and corn. As a result, changes in exchange rates and registered contract prices can affect the ruble duty even when weekly dollar price movements are limited.
Without the proposed suspension, higher duties would reduce the net price exporters can pay domestic suppliers unless the additional cost is passed into export offers. Wheat exporters face an extra 382.8 rubles per tonne compared with the previous week, while corn exporters face an extra 491.6 rubles. That could make Russian Black Sea offers less flexible or put downward pressure on procurement prices at origin. A confirmed zero-duty period through December 31, 2026 would reverse that pressure and give traders greater clarity over margins, but the timing and legal wording of the decree remain central to near-term pricing decisions.
