Russia Extends Export Ban on Rice and Rice Groats Through 2024

According to the Russian Cabinet of Ministers’ Telegram channel, the decision to extend the temporary restrictions on rice and rice groats until December 31, 2024, is aimed at preserving stability in the domestic food market.

The export ban on rice and rice groats, initially imposed on July 1, 2022, following an incident at the Fedorovsky Hydroelectric Power Station in the Kuban region, has been extended multiple times, with the most recent extension lasting until June 20, 2024.

The new restriction will remain in force until the end of the current year. The government stated that this measure has been adopted to ensure stability in the domestic food market.

However, the ban has a number of exceptions. In particular, it doesn’t extend to the delivery of these products to the Eurasian Economic Union member states, Abkhazia, or South Ossetia. Besides that, rice and rice groats are permitted for overseas shipment when they are part of humanitarian aid or involved in international transit.

The Russian gross rice harvest witnessed a significant decline in 2022, dropping by 14.5% to 920,000 tons, down from 1,076 million tons in 2021. According to the Russian Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat), the 2023 harvest yielded 1,066 million tons of rice, representing a 15.8% increase over the previous year. Previously, the Ministry of Agriculture had set a goal to boost the gross rice harvest to 2 million tons by 2027, which includes rice intended for export. Despite the ongoing export ban on rice, Dmitry Patrushev, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, expressed optimistic views regarding future prospects in his statement at the end of May.