MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. Russian exporters have significant potential to increase the volume of wheat and barley supplies to China, Ruslan Khasanov, head of the Federal Center for Assessment of Safety and Quality of Agricultural Products, told TASS.
According to the expert, wheat exports from Russia to China amounted to 12,600 tons in 2022, 156,000 tons in 2023 and in 2024 as of the beginning of November they totaled 344,000 tons. "That means that Russian exporters have significant potential to increase supply volumes," Khasanov noted.
He also noted that barley supplies from Russia to China exceed wheat supplies in terms of tonnage and value, but they are still lower than those of competitors.
In 2023, Russia supplied 533,000 tons of barley to China, and in the first 10 months of 2024 supplies exceeded 721,000 tons.
"Our country also has growth potential in this crop," the expert said. In his opinion, if Russia manages to increase grain supplies to the Chinese market, this will reduce dependence on traditional sales markets.
"However, in order to successfully expand grain supplies to the Chinese market, China needs to lift restrictions on Russian winter grain crops," the expert noted.
Currently, China allows the import of grain only for spring crops, while a significant part of the sown area in Russia is occupied by winter crops, Khasanov noted. The expert recalled that in December 2023, the Russian side initiated discussions on winter crops access to supplies to China during negotiations with representatives of the Department of Supervision on Animal and Plant Quarantine at the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Bureau of Import and Export Food Safety Supervision. In August of this year, the parties agreed to speed up consultations on the supply of winter barley and wheat to China.