Russian Agricultural Exports Up More Than 15% Since Late September, PM Says

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the country's agricultural exports have risen by more than 15% as of late September, pointing to growing use of domestically produced seeds as a factor supporting the sector.

According to Mishustin, the use of domestic seeds for crops including sunflower, colza (rapeseed), sugar beet, soybeans and corn is expanding, a shift officials have linked to broader efforts to reduce reliance on imported agricultural inputs. Seed supply has been a point of emphasis for Russian agricultural policy in recent years, as the government has pushed to build out domestic breeding and seed-production capacity across major crop categories.

Agriculture has remained one of the more resilient sectors of the Russian economy, with the country ranking among the world's largest exporters of grain and other crops. Export growth in the sector can be shaped by a combination of factors, including harvest yields, global commodity prices, shifts in trading partners and logistical arrangements for moving goods to international markets.

Officials have periodically highlighted self-sufficiency in seed production as a strategic goal, framing it as a way to insulate the agricultural sector from potential supply disruptions tied to geopolitical tensions and sanctions imposed by Western governments since 2022. Expanding the share of domestically developed seed varieties can also reduce costs for farmers who previously relied on imported stock for crops such as sunflower and sugar beet.

Mishustin's comments on the export increase were not accompanied by a breakdown of which markets or specific commodities drove the growth, nor did he specify the baseline period against which the 15% increase was measured. Russian authorities have in the past pointed to agricultural trade as an area of continued growth even amid broader economic pressures linked to international sanctions.

The government has set out longer-term targets for increasing the share of domestic seeds used across major crop categories, as part of a wider push for self-sufficiency in agricultural production.