Russia, Türkiye’s largest wheat supplier, will suspend export tariffs on wheat, barley, and corn for a week starting August 13, the country’s Agriculture Ministry announced Monday – as reported by Turkey Today.
The move will temporarily eliminate duties of 19.4 rubles ($0.24) per tonne on wheat and 371.5 rubles ($4.65) per tonne on corn, while tariffs on barley have already been set at zero for some time. The suspension will last until August 19.
The decision follows Türkiye’s introduction of a duty-free wheat import policy under its inward processing regime on March 19, 2025 — a measure widely expected to increase trade between the two nations. That policy allows Turkish flour mills to import wheat without paying customs duties, provided they export an equivalent quantity of processed flour.
Türkiye is currently Russia’s second-largest grain buyer after Egypt, importing 7.2 million tonnes in 2024. Russia exported a record 72 million tonnes of grain that year, with other major markets including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh.
The tariff suspension is part of Russia’s “grain damper mechanism,” launched in June 2021 to stabilize domestic food prices while directing export duty revenues back to farmers through subsidies. Duties are recalculated weekly based on benchmark export prices reported by the Moscow Exchange. This week, prices were $223.5 per tonne for wheat, $199.7 for barley, and $220 for corn, compared to reference prices of 18,000 rubles, 17,875 rubles, and 16,875 rubles per tonne, respectively.
With Türkiye ranking among the world’s top flour exporters, the short-term tariff removal could further strengthen its grain supply chain and deepen its reliance on Russian imports.
