Russia Plans Zero Export Duties on Wheat, Barley and Corn Through 2026
Russia plans to reduce export duties on wheat, barley and corn to zero through December 31, 2026. Duties on sunflower oil and meal will be capped at their August 2026 levels as the government seeks to lower costs during a reorganization of export logistics.
Grain duties set to fall to zero
Russia plans to reduce export duties on wheat, barley and corn to zero through December 31, 2026, temporarily suspending the floating-duty mechanism used for grain shipments. The measure was approved by a government subcommission as part of a support package for grain and oilseed producers, according to information reported by TASS.
The Ministry of Economic Development said the initiative had been proposed jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture in response to the need to reorganize export logistics. The government has not disclosed shipment targets, expected budget effects or estimates of how much exporters could save under the temporary arrangement.
Sunflower levies frozen at August levels
The authorities are taking a different approach to sunflower products. Rather than eliminating their duties, the government plans to prevent the floating export levies on sunflower oil and sunflower meal from rising above their August 2026 levels. Those rates are 7,748 rubles per tonne for oil and 312 rubles per tonne for meal.
The distinction preserves a charge on sunflower-product exports while giving processors and traders a fixed ceiling for the remainder of the year. It also makes the immediate benefit much larger for grain exporters, whose duty rate is due to fall to zero, than for suppliers of sunflower oil and meal, which will continue to face levies.
Lower costs and more predictable trading conditions
Deputy Agriculture Minister Maxim Borovoy said the decisions would create more predictable operating conditions while export logistics are being reorganized. According to the ministry, the temporary adjustment is intended to reduce costs for market participants, support production economics and maintain stable supplies of Russian agricultural products. It is also designed to preserve producers’ ability to sell on both domestic and foreign markets.
For exporters, removing grain duties reduces a direct cost attached to overseas sales and may improve the competitiveness of Russian wheat, barley and corn where logistics and other expenses permit. The measure could encourage companies to direct more available grain toward export channels, although the source material provides no forecast for additional volumes. International price effects will therefore depend on the quantity that reaches foreign buyers, not on the duty change alone.
The sunflower decision offers greater cost visibility but does not remove the policy burden. Processors and traders can calculate shipments against the August ceiling, while producers remain exposed to the relationship between domestic prices, processing demand and export returns. The difference between zero grain duties and capped sunflower levies may also influence short-term marketing choices across the two sectors.
The measures are temporary and run only through the end of 2026. Their practical impact will be determined by the pace of the logistics reorganization and exporters’ ability to turn lower or fixed duties into commercially viable shipments. Until volume data become available, the clearest effect is a reduction in regulatory cost and uncertainty for Russian grain and oilseed-market participants.
