The Russian agricultural watchdog told Reuters that Russia has shipped its first grain from a new terminal at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. The country is seeking to diversify its grain export routes.
The first shipment of 12,000 metric tons of grain was made in June from the Lugaport terminal, owned by the Russian private transport company Novotrans. LSEG data showed the shipment was destined for Cuba.
About 90% of all Russian grain exports go through the Black Sea terminals. Russia, the world’s leading wheat exporter, has been seeking to increase shipments via other routes.
Most exports from the Baltic Sea, which is more easily accessible from central Russia than the Black Sea, are via the Vysotsk terminal, which has an annual capacity of 4 million tons. Vysotsk shipped its first grain in April 2023.
In the first half of 2024, 669,000 tons of grain were shipped for export from Baltic ports, of which 296,000 tons were wheat, according to data from the Grain Quality Assessment Centre, which issues phytosanitary certificates for shipments.
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture has forecast that in the 2024/25 season, grain exports from Russia will reach about 60 million tons.
Novotrans has described Lugaport as its flagship large-scale investment project with an annual grain terminal capacity of 7 million tons.
Source: XM
